


The One Where Paul Goes Under

by Johnismyloveforever64



Category: The Beatles
Genre: Doctors & Physicians, Hospitalization, Needles, Surgery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-04-09 05:43:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 21,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4336103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Johnismyloveforever64/pseuds/Johnismyloveforever64
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Paul needs surgery and the others try their best to make him feel better, including one wild night out. Plus, John tries to emotionally handle the situation while also supporting/protecting Paul.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Anti-Solution

Paul sat in a doctor’s office in the middle of London. A nervous Brian sat next to him, digging through his briefcase and examining paperwork. The other three were nowhere to be found. Paul sat a few chairs down from Brian, as the seats between them were covered in Brian’s paperwork. Paul stared up at the clock, anxiously biting his nails, his big brown eyes wide. He looked so vulnerable in just a white t-shirt and tight jeans. He couldn’t speak, as his throat was very sore, so he just sat quietly, waiting for his fate. 

“Paul?” The nurse called and he looked over at her. She was a tall brunette with gorgeous eyes and beautiful smile. He cringed when he saw her. “Paul…Paul McCartney?” She called again. This time Brian looked up. He shut his briefcase and stood up marching over to her. He shook her hand and glanced over at his nervous client. He looked frozen, just sitting there, his fingers to his mouth but not actually biting them. his hands shook ever so slightly. His big eyes and gone wider. Brian looked nervous himself as he turned back to the nurse.

“Do you need me in there with him?” He asked suddenly, urgently.  
“No, that’s okay. He’ll be just fine,” she replied, smiling a toothpaste commercial smile. Brian looked at her wearily, but she just kept on smiling. He sighed and turned back to Paul. 

“Paul, honey, you’re going to have to go in alone.” Paul’s breathing sped up and he recoiled slightly. Brian turned back to the nurse. “Are you sure—“

“Mr. Epstein, your client is an adult. I’m sure he can handle a little check-up all on his own.” Brian looked and sighed. 

“You’re right,” he answered softly. He turned back to Paul and held his hand out. Paul took it and Brian pulled him up and guided him over to the nurse. He let him go and took a step back. the nurse took a step forward and rested her hand on his back. She gave him a reassuring smile as she gently pushed him forward. He begrudgingly let her take her inside the office. Before he crossed the threshold he quickly glanced back and gave Brian a half-smile, who gave him a reassuring smile and a wave back. Paul smiled a little more as he turned to go inside.

Inside the little office, some minutes later, Paul sat with his legs pressed up to his chest and his chin rest on his knees as he waited for the doctor to come in. The nurse stuck a thermometer in his mouth before taking his blood pressure. The whole time just sat quietly staring at the door in front of him. 

“You know, Dr. Williams is a very nice young man. He’s great doctor.” Paul just nodded. She continued talking anyway. “He works with a lot of performers. You’d be surprised how many have lost their voices and thought they couldn’t get them back, but Dr. Williams is a real master. He can basically fix anything—well, anything involving a throat.” She giggled lightly. He tried to smile but failed. She took a big breath and continued, “So, where are the other three today?” 

“George is visiting his parents, Ringo’s at some train museum, and John’s at home, relaxing with a good book,” he finally spoke. She smiled victoriously. He realized what he had done and covered his mouth.

“So you can talk?” She joked. “Well, that’s a good thing. Many of Dr. Williams’ patients come in here with absolutely no voice at all, but yours sounds good.” He shrugged. He had lost his voice a few days earlier. Everyone thought that it was just laryngitis, but the sore throat that came along with it was severe and when after a few days his voice had not yet returned, they decided that they needed a professional’s opinion. So it was off to a specialist and Paul was not thrilled about this idea.

“Why do I need to see a specialist?” Paul had asked early that morning. They were in their apartment and the other three were getting geared up for the day off—the day that Paul had prompted with his illness. Brian was preparing the loads of paperwork that came along with taking a few days off for rehabilitation. 

“Because, you have barely been able to speak for the past few days, and I can only take so much time off of your performance schedule—and you’re studio time, and your movie shoot coming up.” Paul looked down, feeling immensely guilty for how much they had to miss just for his silly little sore throat. 

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Paul negated. “If we just wait a few more—“

“We’ve waited long enough!” Brian snapped. Paul flinched. The other three shared a ‘this looks serious’ look. Brian apologized and stroked Paul’s hair. “Sweetie, I know that you despise all doctors, but you need to go. If this is something more serious—“

“Like what?” Paul wondered, genuinely worried. Brian didn’t answer he just continued putting his paperwork in his briefcase. “Like what?” Paul asked again. “It’s not tonsillitis,  
because I don’t have a fever,” he objected, rubbing his sore throat after speaking so many words in a row. “What else could it be?” Brian put his briefcase down and went back over  
to Paul. He took his shoulders and bent down so he was looking in his eyes. 

“I don’t know, but we need to find out.” Paul looked at the other three who just nodded in agreement. Paul looked back, pouting slightly. He didn’t look at Brian when he nodded sealing his fate. 

“So, you lost your voice?” Dr. William said now, entering the office. Paul looked up, his heart racing. The doctor approached him wielding a folder and a pen. Paul closed his eyes, waiting for something terrible. All he heard was a pen click. He opened one eye and saw that Dr. Williams was holding paperwork out to him. He quickly signed it and then sat on his hands, staring at his shoes. Dr. Williams and the nurse exchanged a look. “Okay, Paul? Let’s see what we’re working with?” He began. Paul flinched as the doctor picked up a flashlight. “Open, son.” Paul just barely opened his mouth. The doctor looked at him incredulously and then said, a little tiredly, “A little wider, please.” Paul opened his mouth just a little bit wider. The doctor’s eyes went right to the ceiling and then back at Paul. “Okay, one more time. Open wide.” Paul timidly opened his mouth wider, it still wasn’t much. The doctor muttered, “This isn’t going to work,” and handed his flashlight to the nurse.  
“Okay, Paul, why don’t I check your vitals first? Let’s see how you’re feeling?” Paul nodded and took a deep breath, prepared for anything—as long as it didn’t involve his mouth. 

The doctor took out his stethoscope and checked his heart and lungs, and then he took his pulse and blood pressure. He look into his eyes, his nose, and his ears. 

“All of it looks good,” Dr. Williams commented. The nurse nodded in agreement. “What about his glands?” He asked the nurse.

“They’re a little swollen,” she replied. Paul gulped. The doctor just nodded and asked him once again to open his mouth. This time Paul didn’t obey. He just bit his lip and recoiled.  
The doctor ignored him started feeling his glands. He backed up and looked at him a long time. “Megan, hand me my flashlight again.” She handed it to him and gave Paul a reassuring smile. Dr. Williams ignored them both and shined the flashlight up Paul’s nose. Paul looked around in fear and confusion. The doctor examined him for a few minutes and then pulled away. 

“I’m really going to have to see that throat of yours,” Dr. Williams said calmly. Paul looked at Megan desperately, fear heavy in his eyes. She nodded reassuringly. Paul closed his eyes and opened his mouth as wide as he could, his hands squeezing the side of the table. Dr. Williams shined the flashlight in his mouth, peering inside. Paul didn’t notice the difference and he was surprised when Dr. Williams told him that it was over. He opened his eyes and blinked into the brightly lit room. Megan was holding out a lollipop and had a big smile on her face. He smiled a little, taking it a sucking on it. 

“Not so fast!” The doctor called as Paul began to climb off the table. “I want to hear how this infamous voice sounds?” Paul cleared his throat, causing himself a great deal of pain. Then, he opened his mouth and sang. He sang just a few notes, but that was enough to hurt him. He couldn’t even finish the last one. The doctor just scrutinized him, listening very carefully to every sound that Paul made. When he was finished his assessment he announced, “You’re all done. Now let me speak that manager of yours.”  
Paul rushed out of the office and back to the waiting room where he ran right into Brian’s open arms. He stayed there for a full minute before he told him what Dr. Williams said. Brian just nodded, his face completely devoid of emotion. He patted Paul’s shoulder before heading back. once the door shut, Paul shakily sat down. He grabbed a magazine but he couldn’t focus at all. So, he just sat there, breathing heavily and biting his nails. 

Inside the office, Brian sat across from Dr. Williams. He wrote something down in a file and then looked up. 

“So, you look after those four crazy kids from Liverpool?”

“You know, I am from Liverpool,” Brian commented.

“Really? You seem so…?”

“Sophisticated? Yes, I get that a lot.” There was a long pause of a silence. Suddenly, Dr. Williams broke it.

“So, your Paul,” he began.

“Well, he’s not my Paul, he’s my client.”

“Either way, he’s still our concern here today, and I would like to begin with that,” he started. Brian prompted him to go on. “You see, your client’s voice is not the issue here.”

“It’s not? But, he’s been having trouble singing, even speaking has been pretty hard for him.”

“Yes, well that is a side effect of this sort of thing.”

“What sort of thing?” Brian asked carefully, concern heavy in his eyes. Dr. Williams shooed Megan away and then offered him a cigar. Brian just shook his head and prompted him to go on. Dr. Williams sighed and leaned forward. 

“His adenoids are enlarged, and at the moment they happen to also be inflamed,” he answered calmly. Brian nodded, trying to look professional and serene, but his eyes could not shield the growing worry he was feeling. 

“Wh-what does this mean?” He asked urgently. He cleared his throat, “I mean, what sort of treatment do you recommend?” He asked, retaining the serenity that he had before. 

Dr. Williams looked sympathetically at Brian as he gave him his answer. “He’s going to need them out.” Brian’s eyes widened and his heart pounded. He touched his chest, surprised at the sudden increase in his heart rate. He took a few deep breaths and managed to calm himself, but that fear was still present in his eyes. 

“Dr. Williams, is this absolutely necessary?”

“It’s the same case as with tonsils only it’s worse, because adenoids tend to be worse troublemakers than tonsils.” He smiled a little at his joke, but Brian didn’t return it, he just looked away, his eyes wide. 

“There has to be something else? Have you tried antibiotics?” He demanded in a panic. Mr. Williams put down his cigar and said calmly, “It could help, but it’s like putting a bucket under a hole in the roof. Sure, it’ll help with the flooding, but it won’t seal the whole in your roof.” He lit a cigarette as he said this. He leaned back in his chair and gave him a knowing look. Brian still looked skeptical. “I’m sorry that you don’t believe me, but that doesn’t change the fact that his adenoids are one, basically useless now, and are causing way more grief than they’re worth.” Brian grimaced, starting to look a little pale. “Look, I know that you care about this kid and surgery is a really big deal, but you have to trust me. he will be okay.” To that, Brian put his head in his hands and sighed heavily. He looked back up at him and just nodded. Dr. Williams grinned and announced proudly, “Megan, we’ve got another one on the table.” Brian looked at him in horror. Dr. Williams and Megan broke into hysterics. “I’m kidding. God, do you Liverpool folks not have a sense of humor.” Brian tried to laugh, but all he felt was deep nausea. “Now, I want you to go out there and tell the boy what I told you.” 

“Me?” he demanded. “Why can’t you tell him? Isn’t it your job?” 

“Would you prefer a man he hardly knows tell him this news or someone who he clearly cares about and trusts?” Brian had to agree, and reached out to shake his hand. the doctor shook his head and smiled reassuringly at him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of your boy.”

“You better,” Brian told him seriously. Dr. Williams was a little taken aback at his seriousness, but let it pass. 

Megan took Brian back out to the waiting room where Paul sat alone, squeezing the hell out of his magazine and shaking like a leaf. Brian ran over to him and hugged him tightly. 

“What did they say?” Paul demanded. Brian knew that he had to wipe his face clean of all emotions before looking at him, and as much as he tried, he just couldn’t do it. Paul looked scared when he saw the level of concern on his manager’s face. His heart started pounding and his breathing sped up. 

“Are you sure you’re ready?” Brian asked him carefully. Paul looked away, his eyes wide with fear. He stayed like that for several minutes. “Paul?” Brian asked suddenly. He looked back. “I think it’s best that we don’t put this off any longer.” Paul timidly nodded looking at him nervously. Brian sighed and knelt down in front of him squeezing his hands. “Paulie, honey,” he began, his voice getting higher. He looked at him with such concern. He watched as Paul’s lip quivered slightly and his hands shook in his lap. He squeezed his hands tighter and with a big breath he finally just told him. “You need surgery, honey,” his voice was thick. Brian watched as Paul went pale and the shaking in his hands increased. Brian shakily stroked Paul’s hair and waited for him to really react. Paul’s big eyes filled with tears and his lip quivered even more. Brian stroked his hand and looked at him as reassuringly as possible. “Sweetie,” he breathed, hugging him closely. “It’s for your adenoids,” he continued. Paul squeezed him tighter. Brian continued, “They need to come out.” Paul sucked in a sharp breath. Brian felt like he couldn’t say anything else or his voice would betray him, but he knew that he had to keep going. He had to do his job. “It’s going to be alright, you know,” he continued bravely. “It’s just a little operation.” Paul pulled away and looked Brian in the eyes. his face was all twisted up and covered in tears. Brian stroked his hair. 

“I can’t,” he breathed. Brian continued to stroke his hair and smiled reassuringly. 

“Yes you can. You’re Paul McCartney and you are brave and you are strong, and a little operation can’t harm you.” Paul was going to object, but he just felt too tired and too upset to fight, so he just nodded.

“Can we go home?” He asked quietly. Brian nodded and gave his hand a little squeeze before pulling him out of the office.


	2. Not Your Strong Suit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys learn the news and do their best to comfort Paul.

When he returned to the apartment sometime later, the other three had returned from their day out’s. John was in the living room reading a book. George sat next to him on the couch, engrossed in a TV program while mindlessly eating a pizza. Ringo across from him, watching him eat that pizza enviously. He wished his poor intestines could handle both cheese and sauce at the same time. He sighed heavily. That’s when he noticed a pallid Paul coming into the living room. 

“What happened at the doctors?” He asked him. Paul fell onto the couch and right into John’s lap. John sat right up and immediately put his arms around him. 

“Are you okay?” John demanded anxiously. Paul just whimpered. John looked up at Brian, waiting for answers. Brian sat down next to John and Paul on the couch and touched the top of John’s head. He sighed and looked around. Paul nuzzled in closer to John, burying his head in his chest. 

“So, the doctor said that the problem is with his adenoids.” Paul squeaked. The other three looked at Brian in concern. 

“Well, what do they have to do about it?” John demanded. Brian sighed and looked at his boys. 

“They’re going to remove them,” he told them gently. It took less than a second for them to react. George hyperventilated, occasionally glancing over at his mate who was shaking like a leaf at the other end of the couch. Ringo got up and started to reassure him that everything was going to be fine. As for John, he just sat in stunned silence. “John?” Brian   
said gently, lightly stroking his hair. John looked up, but his face was still blank. “You can talk to me. it’s fine.” John glanced over at Paul and suddenly he broke. He was breathing heavily and his heart was racing, but he had a brave look on his face. 

“I’ll be here for you, it’s fine.” Paul squeezed him tightly. 

“I need you so badly,” he whispered in his ear. 

“Me too,” John whispered back. 

The two stayed in each other’s arms a while. George and Ringo sat with them too. no one said a word. Brian quietly went through some paperwork, trying to get things sorted for his upcoming procedure. 

After a while, Brian got up and got them some tea. When he returned with it he said loudly, “Come on, boys, it’s not that bad. It’s just adenoids. it’s not like he’s getting cut open or anything.” A shudder went up Paul’s spine. John held him tighter. Brian tried to look reassuring. “He will only be under for a couple of hours. It’s nothing to worry about.” He looked directly at John as he said this. 

“Why are you looking at me?”

“Because, I know you, John. I know that letting go of Paul, even for a few hours—“

“Now it’s a few!”

“It’s a figure of speech. Look, I know that letting him go for even a short time is a struggle for you, and I know that when it comes to medical procedures, your iffy yourself, so I know you’re going to be very concerned about your Paul.” 

“He’s not my Paul.” 

“Aren’t I?”

“Of course you are!” 

“My point exactly,” Brian said flatly. And the conversation ended there. 

They had dinner and then returned to the den for a card game. No one said much. 

“Why don’t we watch some teley, shall we?” Brian suggested. He turned on the news, but no one seemed to care. After several minutes of silence, he was about to turn it off when   
a news story popped on. 

'Tonight we go live from University Hospital where a man, a Mr. Charles Ludgate, has died due to a surgeon, Dr. Wasserman, leaving a sponge inside of his body…'

Brian flicked off the TV as quickly as possible and then glanced at Paul, concern written all over his face. 

“We can always watch—“ Paul cut him off. 

“I’m gonna go.” Then he ran into his room, slamming the door. They could hear the bed springs squeak as he threw himself on his bed in distraught. 

“I’ll go after him,” John volunteered, running after him. 

Only moments later did the two emerge. 

“I convinced him that it was best if we all talked about the situation before he, you know, retired to his fainting couch like a Victorian noblewoman.” John smiled at him, and Paul   
leered. 

“There’s nothing to talk about. The news said so itself, I am going to die because some surgeon can’t remember to take all of his tools outside of my body before he seals me up. It’s just perfect!” 

“Sweetie, you’re not getting cut open. they’re going in through your mouth,” Brian told him carefully. 

“They can still leave things in there!” He was getting hysterical.

“Paul,” Ringo called, getting his attention, “the chances of them leaving anything inside of your body are very rare. Obviously, if it wasn’t, then they wouldn’t show it on the news. 

Do they show things that happen every day on the news?”

“No,” Paul admitted, and then continued, “But what about when they’re doing an expose, and they show you diners where people are being served cat every day but the media has just caught wind of it now.”

“Trust me, Paul, doctors leaving things inside of patients’ bodies is not a conspiracy. Plus, that doctor probably got fired. So don’t worry about it,” Ringo emphasized. 

“Yeah, you should concentrate on the real issues, like the fact that they’re taking these things out of your body that you don’t even know what they do. Like, are they useful or   
what?”

“You can live without your adenoids. They really don’t do much. They’re like tonsils, only less useful,” Brian explained. 

“Wait, tonsils are useful?” John asked in surprise. “I thought they were useless little glands you have at the back of your throat that most people get chopped off.” 

“They’re not that useful. If you were to have them removed, then you would not miss them.” 

“Will I miss my adenoids?” Paul asked. 

“No, not at all. I bet you didn’t even know you had them until today.”

“Yeah, but will I notice?”

“No, of course not. They’re way in the back of your throat where you can’t see them or feel them.”

“So, chopping them off does nothing?” John asked incredulously. 

“It’ll certainly help the situation. If Paul doesn’t do this, he’ll keep losing his voice and he’ll be in a lot of pain. It can even cause other issues with sinuses and your inner ear.” John   
looked dubiously at him. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am sure. I’ve had the chance to read up on it.”

“Well, tell me this, then. How do they get them out?” He patted Paul’s head and smiled a fake smile. 

“Not telling you.”

“Why not?” He demanded in outrage. “It’s my mouth. I deserve to know the truth.”

“Believe me, you don’t want to know the truth—I shouldn’t have said that.” Paul stared at him with wide eyes. John slid closer to him, sliding an arm around his shoulders. 

“How bad is it?” Paul asked quietly. 

“No matter what I tell you, it’s not going to be bad for you. You’re going to be asleep, and very, very safe—tell ‘em, Ringo.”

“You’re going to take a long nap. You’ll have fun.”

“Fun?!” He exclaimed. “That’s fun?”

“Well, not fun-fun, but it’s alright. You have cool dreams, there’s lots of nice nurses around you, who feed you ice cream and yogurt, and you have some of the best sleep in your   
life. you are going to love it.”

“Surgery? I am going to love surgery? Do you have a different friend named Paul McCartney that you think you are talking to right now? Because this literally makes no sense.” 

“No really, you like being waited on, and the whole time you’re in hospital there’s people waiting on you, and you like your down time, which you will have a lot of in the week you   
spend in hospital.”

“A full week? I don’t want to spend an entire week in there—I can’t—I can’t spend an entire week in hospital.”

“Well, I’m afraid that’s how long a recovery is,” Brian sighed and continued, “Look, honey, you are probably going to be really scared, but I think once you get settled, Ringo is right. You will have a little bit of fun.”

“Will I be in pain?”

“Yes, but you’ll be on so many drugs, I’m sure you won’t notice,” Brian replied. To that, Paul cringed. Brian tousled his hair and continued, “I love you, and I have told you from the beginning that I am here to protect you. This little operation is not going to change that. Alright?” 

“Alright.”   
And that was that.


	3. There's Only One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian decides to replace Paul temporarily. This obviously is met with some extreme reactions.

Brian spent the whole next morning making appointments and cancelling appearances. They had to cancel three shows in London and two TV appearances. Paul was starting to feel really guilty about it. 

“Maybe you guys can do the shows without me. I mean, three Beatles is better than no Beatles.”

“And what about the bass guitar parts?” John countered. 

“Yeah, and who’s going to sing Long Tall Sally or Till There Was You. Those are big parts of our set,” George pointed out. 

“We could get a replacement,” Ringo suggested. 

“We are not replacing Paul,” John retorted, glaring at Ringo. He continued, “And besides, he is irreplaceable.” He gave Paul a big hug.

“Aw, I love you.”

“I love you too.” they Eskimo kissed. 

George looked at them in disgust.

“Can you guys get a room or something?”

“George, how many times do we have to tell you? We are not a romantic couple.” George looked at them in disbelief. “Or a sexual couple.”

“But you Eskimo kiss?”

“That’s because he’s an adorable baby deer who needs love.” They did another little Eskimo kiss. To that, George got up and left the room. 

“So, back to the whole replacing Paul conversation?”

“There is no conversation. Paul is not being replaced. Tell ‘em, Brian.”

“It’s only five shows; we’re not replacing him. Besides, we can make them up another time.”

“There is one small problem,” Brian said suddenly. John gave him a warning look. 

“What kind of a problem?”

“Well, his voice won’t recover for at least two weeks after the operation, and he’s going to need this week to get ready, so that’s three weeks out of commission.”

“So?”

“So, that’s three weeks where you boys are completely inactive. No performances, no studio work, and I can’t justify a holiday later in the year if you took this kind of time off.”

“So, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that maybe in the second week, we do a couple of shows and we have George sing Paul’s numbers and…”

“And…?”

“And, we find a replacement bassist—just for the week, and maybe for a performance or two while he’s in the hospital. Nothing serious.” John was giving him the deadliest glare. 

“I already told you that Paul is irreplaceable.”

“The bass parts, really? And it’s TV, so all you have to do is mime to the recording. There won’t be any actual playing going on.”

“Well, won’t it be uncomfortable for the fans to see some other guy in Paul’s spot.”

“They’ll understand if it’s just temporary, and besides, Paul is only going to be out a couple of weeks anyway.” John still looked pissed. “Paul? is this okay with you?” Paul looked torn. 

“Well, I don’t really want you guys to have to play with some creepy weirdo, and you’re right, I am irreplaceable, at least in the eyes of the fans, but I don’t want to disappoint them.”

“They’re understanding people. They’ll know that you’re just out of commission for a few weeks. They’ll get it.”

“Yes, but the executives won’t, and neither will the TV producers who booked us months in advance. I’m sorry, boys, but this is the way it has to be.”

“I told you,” Ringo cut in. John glared at him. 

“Fine! I will go along with it!” He shouted, storming out of the room.


	4. He's Not Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paul goes on the David Frost Show. David Frost acts like an ass and Mal comes to the rescue.

The next day, they announced on the David Frost Show that Paul was getting his adenoids out. He reassured the audience that everything would go smoothly. He explained why he needed them out, and that though he was pretty nervous, he was certain that it was going to be an easy time. 

“Now, are you concerned at all that your fans will be upset, knowing their favorite Beatle is undergoing such an elaborate procedure.”

“I’d hardly call it elaborate. They’re just taking my adenoids. Same as tonsils, but a little less useful.” 

“Yes, well, you see it’s still going to be an operation, and your fans are going to be very anxious while you’re in there.”

“I’m sorry about that, but there really isn’t anything that I can do. I considered just keeping it to myself, but honestly it didn’t feel right. They have the right to know what’s going on in my life. so, I’ll tell them exactly what’s happening.”

“Well, I really appreciate your honesty. Next on the show we’ll have opera singer Janice Granin sing a song from Carmen. We will be right back.”   
He signed off and then rushed off to makeup. Paul was about to leave when all of a sudden David Frost blocked his way with a makeup bib around his neck and a comb behind his ear. 

“Mr. McCartney, you can’t leave without saying goodbye.”

“Goodbye. Now can I go—“

“Wait just a minute. I want to talk about this little operation of yours. So, are you really getting it this weekend?”

“Yeah, Sunday night. I go in Saturday though. I get a whole day to just relax and try and focus on something else.”

“Yes, that sounds nice. But I do have to ask, do you give me full permission to cover the story if you were to perish on that operating table.”

“Perish? No, no, I think you’ve got this thing totally blown out of proportion,” he answered nervously. “I’m-I’m fine, really. It’s a routine thing.”

“Yes, but there still can be complications. Even on the most routine surgery ever, there’s always a chance of something going terribly wrong and you never waking up.” Paul was starting to sweat and his heart was pounding in his chest. He started to back away from David Frost. 

“I’m sorry, but I really need to go.”

“Wait just a minute.” He stopped him again. “You didn’t give me permission.”

“David Frost, if you even mention my name and ‘has died’ in the same sentence I swear to God I will have John punch you so hard.” Then he stormed away. 

Once he was far enough away from David Frost, he let himself start to panic. He was hyperventilating and his heart was racing. He felt his chest tighten and he felt a banging in his head. 

“I’m not going to die. I can’t die. I just can’t,” he kept saying to himself over and over again, until Mal found him. He was sitting on a mop bucket, rocking back and forth and looking wide eyed and petrified. Mal squatted down in front of him and looked very casual and easy-going. 

“Hey there, Paulie, you okay?” he shook his head.

“This surgery’s going to kill me,” he panted. 

“That’s not even possible,” he told him calmly. 

“Really? Because, I’m pretty sure there’s a million things that can go wrong, including a surgeon leaving a sponge inside my body!” He panicked. Mal squeezed his arm tilted his chin up so he was looking him in the eyes. 

“Hon, if any freaking doctor left a sponge—or anything else—inside of you, than I will literally punch him into the next county.” Paul smiled a little at that. “You see, you’re feeling better.” His smile fell a little. “Be honest, what’s the matter?” 

“It’s still a possibility.” He patted his shoulders and sighed. 

“I know, mate, I know.” he held him for a while.


	5. Lean On Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and Paul finally get to sit down and talk (and cuddle).

Late that night, Paul sat alone on the couch, watching TV. He was trying to empty his mind and focus on the meaningless fluff, but all he could think about is what David Frost had told him—and about the sponge. He kept wondering how a surgeon could stitch someone up and not notice that it’s in there. It boggled his mind.  
Just as the next rerun of Top of the Pops came on, John came in the room. 

“Hey,” he called, sitting next to him on the couch. 

“Hey,” he called back distantly. “Mal told me what David Frost told you about your chances of, you know.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty grim.” 

“You know, the chances of something happening are pretty low. Probably only about three or four percent, if that.”

“There was only a three or four percent chance that we’d make it in America—if that.”

“That has nothing to do with this—”

“Yes it does! If I was able to beat the odds before then I can definitely do it again!” He retorted, looking so scared. John was too stunned to say anything. “I don’t want to die, John. 

Even if the chances are slim, I don’t want to take them.”

“Then what else are you going to do? You need this surgery.”

“I know,” he cried. “That’s the problem,” he continued in a quieter voice. John pulled him in close, kissing the top of his head. 

“Hey, I’m gonna be here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“You know that’s not how it works, right?”

“Does it help?” Paul shrugged. 

“A little.”

“Then, there you go.” He smiled a little. Paul tried to smile but failed. 

“I just really don’t want to go anywhere.” John leaned in real close to him so he was almost touching his nose. 

“Believe me, no one else wants that.”

“I know, but it doesn’t always make a difference,” he said quietly, his lip quivering. 

“You know, not every complication leads to like immediate death. There’s infection, bleeding, or you can be like Ringo and go into a coma afterwards. All of those can be  
addressed and very likely they’ll go away.” Paul actually looked hopeful for the first time in this whole process. “Besides, you are only going to be in there for an hour. What’s the worst that can happen?” Paul thought about it, looking terrified. “Okay, don’t think of horrible scenarios. I mean, I’m already thinking of quite a few and trust me it’s not fun.”

“You think about that?”

“Of course, but don’t worry about me. I will be fine. Of course I’ll worry about you like crazy, but I that as long as you’re okay, I’ll be okay.”

“But, what if I’m not?” John froze, his eyes widening. “You see, you know that it could happen. I could be gone by Monday,” he paused, “Monday morning.” John looked at him, and he tried to be strong but he was breaking, and pretty soon, Paul broke down too. “I’m just so scared, John,” he cried. 

“I am too,” he whispered, kissing his head. “I am too.” 

They stayed in each other’s arms for the rest of the night.


	6. They Don't Have That Special Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paul gets a check-up at the doctors.

The next day, Paul had a doctor’s appointment. He was getting a physical for his surgery. The whole group came with him to support him. They all squeezed into the exam room, Brian standing behind him, George and Ringo sitting in chairs off to the side, and John sitting next to him on the table, their hands intertwined.   
Their doctor was a kind old man by the name of Dr. Hanson. He always knew how to give a shot without it hurting too much. Paul silently wished that Dr. Hanson was more involved in this process than he’s able to be. 

“So, Paul, I heard you’re having some trouble with your adenoids?” He nodded, his eyes fixated on his lap. The doctor lifted his chin up and gave him a reassuring smile. “It could be worse.” He always said that to them, whenever something was wrong. It always made them feel better, but this time, he wasn’t so sure he was right. He still smiled anyway. He wanted Dr. Hanson to think that he was brave, at least brave enough to get through this operation. 

“How has he been feeling?”

“Better, now that he’s on antibiotics,” Brian answered. He squeezed Paul’s shoulders. “He’s our little trooper.” 

“It’s just adenoids,” Paul replied like it was no big deal. “Right?” He asked suddenly. 

“Yes, of course, it’s very simple. However, we do have to make sure everything is working right. So, let’s take a look.” He then started the exam by listening to Paul’s heart. 

“Everything’s good there,” and then he moved onto his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. “Alright, everything is just fine. If I were you, I’d take it easy up until the surgery. No performing, nothing.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” he responded. “Why is something gonna happen?” He asked, panicked. The doctor just chuckled.

“No, you’ll be fine. But, you’ll certainly have an easier recovery the more I rest.”

“Speaking of which, when can I go back to performing?”

“You can play bass again a few days after you get out of hospital—if you’re feeling up to it—but you’re going to have to rest your voice for a couple of weeks.”

“And about his voice,” Brian began, “how will the surgery affect it?” 

“It’ll be raspy at first. Talking will be difficult, but after a few weeks of recovery it should go back to normal.”

“Is there any chance that it could maybe…?”

“No, well, we can’t rule anything out completely. You see, the doctors aren’t going anywhere near his vocal chords, but of course there is always the possibility of something going   
wrong. I wouldn’t fret about it, though.”

“But, I could lose my voice?”

“It’s unlikely. If something were to happen it’d more likely be that it changes drastically. You’ll still be able to sing, don’t worry, and speaking shouldn’t be an issue. just please listen to all of your ENTs instructions and you should be fine.” He gave him a reassuring smile. Paul tried to smile back but failed. 

“Thank you, doctor. Is that all?”

“One more thing,” he replied. He picked something up off of the desk and kept it hidden behind his back. Paul tried to glance at it, but Dr. Hanson was sneaky and fast. Before Paul even realized it, he had given him a very quick shot. Paul flinched for a second as he saw him pull away. George shrieked, Ringo shrugged, and John grabbed Paul’s other hand, but their reactions were too late; the shot had already been given and Paul was in shock. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself. 

“That wasn’t so bad,” he said breathlessly. 

“Yeah, well, the shots they give you in the hospital won’t be so quick.” 

“What do you mean?” Paul asked anxiously. 

“Well, they don’t quite have my touch, so you’ll have to bear with them.” Paul was starting to hyperventilate. 

“Okay, let’s go home before we make this trip any worse,” Brian said, pulling Paul and John away, the other two following behind.


	7. The Night of Fun Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night before Paul's hospital visit, the boys plan a 'night of fun' for him.

With just one day left before Paul’s trip to the hospital, the boys started preparing for his going away. While Paul was at the ENT for his pre-op, the boys flitted around the apartment, getting ready for his surprise. They ordered food, bought a whole stack of new records, and even had the TV tuned to a Bridgette Bardot movie marathon.   
After that was done, they moved on to the last stage: their new song. they had spent much of the afternoon writing a new song that would perfectly sum up their feelings for Paul. it was mostly a silly song, with verses about his tendency to sleep with his eyes open, but there were more serious parts, like the verse that talks about what a great friend he is. They tried to mix it up. They were pretty confident that the song would at least make him smile, which was the whole goal.   
So, when Paul walked through the door, they were pretty excited, until they saw his face. He came in looking grim. John ran over and hugged him. Paul held him tightly, resting his head on his shoulder. 

“What happened?” John mouthed. 

“Uh, Paul, why don’t you wash up get ready for dinner. I believe the boys ordered a pizza.” 

Paul left the room, with his head hung low. The others were growing concerned. 

“Okay, tell us what happened,” John demanded. 

“Look, boys, it’s not that serious. I mean, nothing really happened. It’s just that Dr. Williams made him sign this paper.”

“What paper?” John urged.

“This document that asked what Paul would do if…”

“If…?” The other three prompted urgently. 

“If something were to go wrong and he were to…” 

They didn’t ask him to go on. They already knew.

“Oh, well, that’s just a precaution. They do that with all procedures,” Ringo told them nonchalantly. 

“Well, try telling him that,” Brian sighed. “Listen, boys, I think he’s really upset. I mean, really upset. The chances of something happening are almost nothing but yet he still believes that the odds are against him. So, can you please try to be as understanding as possible?” The other three nodded.

“Of course we understand. Who among us wouldn’t act the same way—besides Ringo.”

“Yes, well, that’s the thing. I think he thinks he’s alone on this. Can you just do something to show him that you’re really with him on this.”

“Sure, we’ll think of something.”

So, the boys raced into Paul’s bedroom where they found him lying hopelessly on his bed and jumped right on top of him. He went flying, nearly off the bed, but John grabbed him right in time. 

“Guys, guys, what are you doing?” He exclaimed. 

“We are your ambush squad and we are going to take you on the ride of your life.”

“Wait? You’re kidnapping me?”

“Yeah, I thought we were having pizza?” George added.

“After the pizza,” John told him annoyed. “But then we are going to take you on a wild ride through the streets.”

“To look at strippers?”

“The finest.”

“And ride in fast cars?”

“The fastest.” 

“And all for what?”

“All for what? All for you, silly. Because you’re scared right now and we want you to feel a different emotion.”

“Scared but because John has a plan, not of doctors and needles,” Ringo interjected. Paul smiled and hugged everyone. 

“So, are we off?”

“Yes! The Beatles are off to a night of fun!”


	8. The Beatles Night of Fun Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Beatles decide to sneak into a movie theater with some interesting results.

Five minutes later, the boys were driving aimlessly through London as Paul tried to decide what he wanted to do for his night of fun. 

"Come on, Paul, just pick something," George was saying from the front seat. He was driving, as John didn't drive and Ringo didn't fight over the keys as hard as George did. 

"We could go to a movie," Ringo suggested.

"And what is exciting and fun about that?" George asked him.

"There's popcorn there."

"Let's go!" George exclaimed.

"Now hold on," John cut in, "it's Paul's night. He gets to pick what we do."

"Paul, please oh please pick the movies," George pleaded. 

"Uh, I kind of want to do something more adventurous than that," Paul replied.

"We could sneak into a movie," John suggested.

"You may have something there..."

So the four drove to the nearest movie theater. George parked his mini in the back so no one would recognized it. John scoped it out before signaling to them to follow him inside. He crept up to the side door, the others following closely behind, and kicked it down. The boys ducked into the doorway, tiptoeing inside. They found four seats in the back, sitting down low in their seats. 

The movie was some weird foreign film about farmers whose corn won't grow. Within minutes, the boys were terribly bored. 

"What is happening?" George asked. 

"I think an old lady is crying over a corn stalk," Ringo suggested. 

"Maybe it broke her heart," John added wryly. He turned to Paul and gave him a big smile. "Come on, you're just sitting there. Enjoy it. It's your last night of freedom--for a week." Paul just shrugged.

"Oh, the movie isn't that bad," Ringo tried. "At least there's cows."

"I hate cows. They're so ugly," he sighed. The other three exchanged a look. After having a silent conversation, John enacted his plan. He reached into his bucket of popcorn, and slowly and ever so subtly, threw one at Paul's eye. He flinched. 

"Did you...throw popcorn at my eye!" He shouted the last word, which was followed by a chorus of 'shush' from the nearby moviegoers. He ignored them and gave the others a stern look. "I mean it! Don't throw pop--"

And just like that, George threw another piece at his face. Then, Ringo and John threw more popcorn at him. It was all stuck in his hair and he even got some pieces up his nose. He shook it all out and then furiously reached into his bucket and threw some back, most of it hitting John, who hit him right back. Soon, the Beatles were engaged in an all out popcorn war. They covered each other in popcorn, barely able to see after a few short minutes. By the time their their buckets were empty they were an absolute mess. They all looked at each other when it was over and just started laughing. They laughed for several minutes, getting louder and louder by the minute. Soon, the entire theater was looking at them. 

Suddenly, they were blinded by a torch, and when they looked up the saw two security guards towering over them. They gulped. 

"Can I see your ticket stubs?" One of the security guards asked. They all pretended to look for them. 

"Well?" The other one asked, after they had been doing this for a while. 

"We seemed to have misplaced them," John answered apologetically. "Oh well, back to the corn--"

"Hold on, do I recognize you boys from somewhere?" They exchanged a worried look. The last thing they wanted was to start a riot. 

"We look quite a bit like The Miracles, but that has nothing to do with--"

"No that's not it." The security guards thought about that a minute. 

"Oh I know where I know you from." They gulped. "You're on the wall of 'banned customers." 

"No we're not!" John objected. 

"We've never even been to this movie theater," Paul pointed out. 

"Or any theater of any kind at any time," George added. 

"We really haven't been to this theater," Ringo answered honestly. 

"Oh, I may have made a mistake. You're not on the wall yet." The boys sighed in relief. "But you will be--book 'em, Sarg." 

"What are you talking about--are those handcuffs?" Paul exclaimed. 

The two security guards put the boys in handcuffs and dragged them out of the theater, kicking and screaming. 

"I'm calling my lawyer!" Paul yelled, trying to pull away. 

"I'm calling my hitman."

"John, shut up right now!" Ringo yelled at him, trying to hit him. 

"No, guys, don't fight. That's what they want!" Paul yelled, trying to separate them. 

"Just quiet down and get into the brig," the one security guard said, pushing them into a small brightly lit room. There was one chair in the center of the room. All four of them ran   
right to it. John managed to get the chair and then immediately gave it up for Paul. He smiled a little. 

"I mean, you are going to be in your own version of prison tomorrow--you mine as well get the best out of it." Paul thanked him and sat down. 

Just then, a security guard popped in and asked them if they wanted to make their, 'one phone call.'

"Oh my God, this really is prison," John said in mock surprise.

"Do you wanna make the phone call or not?"

"Yes, and I will make it," Ringo insisted. They all looked at them in surprise. "What, we're gonna get the sarcastic one to talk to Brian?" 

"We could get Paul to do it," George suggested. "I mean, he does have the sympathy vote." 

Paul shrugged and followed the guard out of the small room. He took him over to the phone booths where he dialed the number for the apartment. Brian picked it up after two rings. 

"This is Brian Epstein, the Beatles manager speaking, how may I help you."

"Um, Mr. Epstein," Paul began, speaking in a lower register than normal, "I'd like to inform you that your...clients are currently in a sticky situation." He could practically hear Brian's pulse rising. 

"What sort of trouble?" He asked concernedly, "Are they hurt?"

"No, they're well--mostly."

"Did they break a law?"

"Sort of."

"Sort of? How could they 'sort of' break a law," he was starting to get furious. 

"Well, it's not an important one. They're not going to end up in regular jail--"

"Regular jail? As opposed to what sort of jail? Oh my God, I knew this would happen. As soon as I trusted John to take the others out, I knew there'd be trouble. We're just going to   
a club. A CLUB? As if John Lennon would ever just take his Paul to a club when he could take him parasailing on Queen Elizabeth's yacht--I'm sorry, you were saying?" 

"Well, all they did was sneak into a movie--and start a popcorn fight and technically disturb the peace--but honestly, Brian they really didn't hurt anyone. Or even get into that much trouble." His voice broke, as it had been doing for the past week or so. 

"What'd you say your name was again?" Brian inquired. 

"Uh, Paul Ramone," Paul tried. 

"Paul!" He exclaimed. 

"Yes, this is Paul Ramone."

"No, my Paul, what are you doing?"

"We're...we...I...I only had one phone call."

"You mean you're actually in jail!" Brian exclaimed. 

"Not jail, Brian. Just...movie theater jail."

"Oh my God, what did you do?"

"I told you! We snuck into a movie, started a popcorn fight, and got kicked out. No parasailing involved," he replied nervously. 

"I guess that's not too bad. Alright, I'll come and get you. Where are you at?"

"10th street."

"I'll be there." And he hung up. 

Paul returned to the little room, where George and John were standing in opposite corners facing the wall.

"What did I miss?"

"John stole my candy bar."

"For the last time, I didn't steal your damn candy bar!"

"John stole George's candy bar, and George tried to claw at him, so I separated the two," Ringo explained. 

"Is the slammer already turning you hard?" Paul asked.

"It...was...my only...one," George growled. 

"And I didn't take it!"

"Okay, everybody stop!" Paul shouted. "As mildly amusing as your weird little fight is. I still don't want you guys to fight. Not tonight. Not the night before I have to go..." 

"Aw, it's okay." They all rushed over to him, comforting him.

"We didn't want to upset you, it's just...we're trapped in here you know, and I got a bit peckish." 

"So you admit it!" 

"I admit nothing." He turned his attention back to Paul. "But really, we're sorry. If I had known that sneaking into a movie theater would land us in some weird cinematic prison,   
than I would've gone with something else." 

"Yeah, we could've gone bowling," Ringo suggested. 

"Or waterskiing?" 

"Or parasailing with the Queen's yacht," Paul joked. They all looked at him like he had the greatest idea on the planet.

"Paul, we have got to get out of here."

"Brian will be here soon."

"Oh, we're not waiting for him..."


	9. The Night of Fun Part 3: Brian's Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Boys finish their night of fun in the most epic adventure yet: parasailing on the Queen's yacht.

Once they were safely out of the theater they set out on their quest. John took them straight to a phone booth, claiming that was where they needed to start.

"Shouldn't we start by trying to find Q E's yacht?" 

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"Her yacht isn't going to be in the phone book," Ringo pointed out.

"Let him look," Paul told them. 

John ignored them and searched the phone book. He went first to P and looked for parasailers. He found one by the name of Jack Wilson, who was apparently open to parasailing anywhere, at anytime, and on anything that moves. John grinned and looked up his home phone number. 

He dialed the phone and told the others to quiet down.

"Hello, is this a Mr. Jack Wilson?" 

"Yes, who is this?" 

"This is John Lennon of the Beatles."

"Oh, wow! That's amazing. My niece is a big fan of yours. Uh, how did you get my number?" 

"Phone booth. Now listen to me, Jack. This is very important. I need your services right away."

"Oh, my boats in the shop. Unfortunately I'm not available right now."

"We don't need your boat."

"Well that's part of the--"

"Just consider the boat aspect covered. Now meet me by the docks in an hour. Got that?"

"Docks? Which docks?"

"The royal docks."

Jack Wilson showed up at the Royal Docks an hour and four minutes later. When he did, John was glowering at him. 

"I told you one hour exactly. Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"It's 12:04, I don't think that's particularly late considering how--"

"Just forget it. In the utmost irony, we don't have time to discuss punctuality."

"Hi, I'm George, and this is Ringo and Paul. We're sorry about the fourth one." John glared at him. 

"Whatever, can we go parasailing now?" Paul asked enthusiastically. 

"Do you have a boat?" The boys grinned devilishly. 

They hopped over the fence leading to the royal docks. It was a surprisingly easy fence to hop over. The wondered why it was so easy until they hopped down and saw two security guards sitting by the dock. 

"I have an idea, but one of you has to be my bait." He paused and looked them over. "Ringo, you're the bait."

"Why am I always the bait?"

"George, Paul, Parasailing guy, come with me." 

Ringo climbed into the boat of some rich lord. 

"This isn't fair," he whispered to the others. They were hiding in a bush.

"What are you boys up to?" Jack Wilson asked them. 

"Oh, just the every day happenings in the lives of the Beatles." He grinned. "'Ey, do the plan." 

Ringo turned the boat on and got ready to drive it.

"Hey, you!" The guards yelled chasing after him.   
He closed his eyes and put it in gear and took off. The guards hopped into a small motorboat and chased after him, screaming profanities. 

"Now's our chance," John said quietly and gestured for them to follow him. They climbed onto the Queen's yacht. 

"You don't have the key," Paul reminded him. 

"Yes I do," he answered, hopping off the boat and running over to the guard's station. The keys were inside a little glass box. He smashed it with a hammer marked emergency and grabbed the gold key with the purple feather. He ran back to the boat and hopped on, key in hand. 

"You are unbelievable."

"When my Paulie asks to parasail on the Queen's yacht, I get the job done." 

He stuck the key in the ignition and drove it out into the harbor. Then he quickly remembered that he can't drive and handed it over to Paul. 

"This is awesome!" He exclaimed. 

"See, this is a night of fun."

"It is. Thank you, John." They hugged. 

"Do you guys want to parasail or not?" Jack Wilson asked. He set-up the parasailing gear, and once he had it all secure (John had him check several times), he asked who wanted to go first. John and George pushed Paul forward. 

"Do you want to?" Jack Wilson asked him. 

"I'd be glad to." 

Jack Wilson got him onto the parasail and then took off. He drove the boat really fast, like a speed boat. The boat was big and all the fast motion made George and John seasick. But Paul didn't care. He was up on his parasail, happy as a clam. So the other two put up with it. 

When he came down he was all smiles.

"That was so, so fun!" He exclaimed. Jack Wilson had slowed the boat down now. John and George were holding onto the sides. "Do you guys want to go up there?"

"Why not?" John responded, though he didn't sound so sure. 

Jack Wilson hooked him up and then took off again. After the first few seconds, which were mostly panic-filled, he started to relax and actually enjoy himself. 

"This is so incredible!" He shouted. 

Then, Jack Wilson turned the boat suddenly and John lurched forward. He felt his stomach turn and then he felt it come up. And then out. 

"John, are you okay?" Paul shouted. 

"Fine!" He shouted back. Jack Wilson pulled him down. He was careful not to step on his own vomit when he did. 

"You blew chunks all over the Queen's yacht!" George exclaimed.

"You know, it's not as fun as it sounds," he said, sitting down on a lawn chair. Paul sat next to him and put a blanket around him. John rested his head on Paul's shoulder. Paul stroked his hair. 

"This is fun too," he whispered. 

"I'm glad you're having fun."

"I really am. You did a great job you know."

"I've been known to do that from time to time. You know, do things for other people."

Paul chuckled.

"You are something, John Lennon."

"Yes, I am. And so are you."

"Lads, Lads!" Jack Wilson shouted, running over to them. George was right behind him. "It's the fuzz, in it."

"Oh no! Get down."

He threw the blanket over himself and Paul and kept down real low. George was nearby under a blanket as well. Jack Wilson just stood on deck, totally frozen. 

"Drive," John whispered to him. 

"What?"

"Don't just stand there! Get out of here! We can get to Paris from here!"

"Paris!" Paul exclaimed. John shushed him. 

"We won't get there if we're in jail."

"I can't get my surgery if we're in jail."

"On second thought, jail sounds pretty okay."

"Okay, get out of the way, I'm taking over!" 

George pushed Jack Wilson aside and took over the controls. He sped away, getting as much distance between him and the guards as possible. Considering they were only on a tiny speedboat (which Ringo happened to inhabit). They figured this was the best way. 

George really went for it. He sped straight out of the harbor, but once he was out on the open ocean he froze. The boat stopped suddenly and everyone lurched forward. John and Paul fell off their lawn chairs.

"Are we in Paris?" 

"We're...somewhere."

"Do you know how to sail?" George demanded.

"I've never left the harbor."

"No, but I bet they do," John replied flatly, pointing at the Coast Guard coming right for them. 

They got on the boat just minutes later. 

"What in the hell do you think you're doing, mates?" 

"Sailing on God's beautiful ocean," John answered, matching his cockney accent. 

"Not with this boat, are you? This here's the Queen's boat."

"Is it? Is that why it's so large and why it has this lovely gold key?"

"How did you get that key? And how did you get on this boat?"

"That's not important for your investigation is it."

"John!" Paul exclaimed. "It's fine, just accept it. Our night of fun is over."

John sighed and looked down.

"Fine, I'll go quietly, but you have to promise not to rough us up too badly. This one's gotta be in hospital tomorrow."

"What for?"

"Adenoids," Paul answered quietly. 

"Aw, that'll be easy, lad. Don't worry."

Paul just shrugged.

"Now, you've got the right to remain silent, don't ya?" 

They put them in handcuffs and took them onto the Coast Guard boat. They wrapped them in orange blankets and sat them on a bench facing the open ocean. The ride back to the docks was quick but merciless. They were all pretty green by the time they got back. 

Ringo was there with the other guards when they got back. He was in an orange blanket too only he wasn't handcuffed. The Coast Guard handcuffed him when they got back. 

They took them into this small holding cell inside the offices in the docks. They were told to sit in there until their ride comes. 

They sat there glumly as they waited for Brian to show up.

"I'm not mad," Paul said after a while. 

"As long as you enjoyed it, I'm fine with it."

"Really?"

John shrugged.

"I mean, what's the worst they can do to us?"

"Keep us in here all night!" Ringo said, starting to feel claustrophobic. 

"If we could snag some of those donuts it'd be more manageable," George said, staring intently at those donuts. 

John reached through the bars and grabbed a couple. He handed one to George and one to Paul. 

"Well," John said, breaking off a piece of Paul's donut, "This isn't Paris, but, it's something."

"It's exciting." Paul grinned, his mouth covered in powdered sugar. "Besides, I'm happier now than I will be tomorrow. That I know."

"I think hospital may be a bit better than this."

"Yeah, but I'll be alone."

"Aw," the other three awed. 

"There you boys are!" 

Brian didn't sound mad, but exasperated, and a little disappointed.

"Why didn't you go to a strip club like I suggested? Or for pizza?"

"We have donuts!" George offered.

"Boys," Brian said, sliding down the wall of the prison and pressing his feet against the bars. "Tell me what I did to deserve a group of hoodlums like yourselves. Hm?"

"You love us," John said, with a mouthful of donut. 

"Unfortunately, I do," he said. "But, tell me, did you really escape movie theater jail?"

"Yes we do," George bragged.

"And did you parasail on the Queen's yacht."

"Sure did," Paul beamed.

"And John really blew chunks all over the deck?"

John frowned, "yep, did that too."

"Well, it sounds like you had quite a night of fun. Huh?"

"Are we in trouble?" Paul asked, putting on a puppy dog face. 

"I think a week in hospital is punishment enough."

"But that's only Paul."

"Exactly. Think of it this way, I pay your bail, you abstain from sex for a whole week."

"A whole week!"

"But when we visit Paul there will be nurses. Hot ones!" John exclaimed. 

"And desperate ones." George added. 

"And ones who don't know they're hot." Ringo continued. 

"There's gonna be single women, women who just got plastic surgery and want to be reassured that the new nose fits great." John said. 

"Lots and lots of women," George affirmed.

"Shame, well, I guess you'll just have to be masters of your own domain."

The boys groaned.

"You're lucky that's all I'm giving you. Do you know what it's going to cost to pay eight bail fees?"

"Eight?"

"Two for each of you."

"What is it, like a hundred bucks?"

"Maybe."

"We've got that kind of money," Paul reassured him. 

"Wait, do we have to go to court?"

"I may have made a deal so you don't have to go to court."

They cheered. 

"Let's just say, I'm no longer master of my own domain."

They looked at him quizzically. 

"That's all I'm going to say, now let's get out of here."

After they were let out of jail, Brian drove them home, trying to be angry, but mostly just smiling.


	10. Paul and John Stay in Bed (NOT LIKE THAT)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and Paul are just hours away now from Paul's hospital visit and are trying to cope by spending some quality time together.

After they got ready for bed, Paul followed John into his room. 

“Hey, sweetie, what’s up?” At first, Paul couldn’t quite get the words out. “It’s fine, just tell me.”

“I want to sleep in your bed!” He blurted. John smiled.

“Aw, of course you can sleep in my bed.” He climbed in and gestured for Paul to follow. He wearily did so. “So, what’s with the coziness all of a sudden?”

“Well, you see, I was just thinking about how tomorrow I’ll be in the hospital and I’m not sure how much I’ll see you, you know, while I’m in there, so I was afraid that I won’t get to see you much, so I, uh, wanted to spend time with you now to make up for it,” he stammered. John smiled even wider. 

“Hon, it’s fine. First of all, I love having you next to me. second, where did this idea come from that I’m not gonna be seeing you much in hospital. You know that I would never ever leave you in there by yourself—except when I have to go home at night. But outside of that, I will be right there by your side as much as I can. Okay?”

“Okay.” 

They hugged and fell asleep just inches from one another, their heads almost touching. 

The next morning, John shook Paul awake. His eyes fluttered open and smiled upon seeing him. John smiled gently and said softly, “today’s the day, hon.” Paul’s smile dropped. 

“I don’t wanna—“

“Just relax,” he told him, cutting him off. He stroked his hair and looked into his eyes. “We’re gonna have a good day, okay? We don’t have to leave till tonight, so we have a lot of time to enjoy ourselves, alright?” Paul nodded. “Alright, well, do you wanna have breakfast?” 

“Actually, can we just stay here a while, maybe have breakfast in bed?” John grinned. 

“Of course, my love,” he cooed, kissing his nose. Paul’s nose crinkled. “I love when you do that.”

“Really, I hate it when you do that?” John smiled wider.

“I’m gonna get us breakfast.”

“Don’t leave!” Paul begged, putting an arm out to block him from getting up. 

“I’m not going anywhere. Brian!” He called. 

Brian came in. 

“Yes, boys?” 

“Can you get us breakfast in bed?”

“Paul, you are literally going to have breakfast in bed every morning for the next two weeks. I don’t see how this is necessary.” 

“I just want to be with John for a while.” 

Brian nodded. 

“Alright, but the two of you have to come out here sometime.” They exchanged a knowing look. 

After they had their breakfast in bed, they stayed in bed for a while watching cartoons. During a commercial break, Paul said to John, “Are you going to be upset when I’m not here tomorrow morning?”

“Why are you reminding me?” he whined. Paul looked apologetic. “It’s fine, I just…” he sighed, “I really, really am going to miss you. I keep trying to forget that we have to spend the next week—which is an insanely long amount of time by the way—without you here constantly, whining about something probably.” They smiled a little. Then, Paul frowned. 

“I’m gonna miss you too. I know that you’re gonna visit, but you can’t be there all the time and I know that. It’s fine, really, but I will definitely miss you at night.”

“We’ve gone many nights without sleeping side by side.”

“Yes, but when’s the last time I wasn’t down the hall?”

A look of realization crossed his face. 

“This is gonna be impossible.”

“I know!” Paul whined.  
“You see! I’m gonna miss that whine.” Paul pouted comically. John tugged at his bottom lip.

“Oh, what are we going to do with you?” He looked like he might cry. As soon as Paul saw that he felt like he might cry too. Then, they did. Very slowly at first and then very, very hard. 

Tears streamed down Paul’s face, which John wiped away with heavy tears in his eyes. Paul buried his face in John’s chest, his whole body shaking. John sobbed heavily and Paul did the same. They held each other so tightly, they thought they’d never let go. 

Their sobs slowed down eventually, but they still stayed in each other’s arms like that. Paul didn’t want to get up and neither did John, but they both knew that they would have to get on with the day. They eventually pulled away from each other, John leaving a little kiss on the top of Paul’s head, before getting up to get dressed. Paul stayed laid out on the bed, feeling drained before they day even started.


	11. Luncheon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys go out to lunch to "celebrate" Paul's hospital visit.

Later, they went to lunch at one of their favorite places to eat. It was a small secluded café in Surrey where they knew no one would bother them. they got a very private table in the back, where only the staff was allowed to go.

After they ordered, there was a lull in the conversation, as no one knew what they should say. Finally, George piped up.

“I would take this meal for granted. You’re gonna be eating hospital food for the next two weeks.”

“I know, George. You don’t have to rub it in,” he sassed.

“Okay, let’s maybe talk about something else. I heard a very interesting weather report today—“

“Oh, if you wanna talk about hospital food, let me tell you all about Liverpool Central’s terrible food. Imagine eating a pouched egg every morning that was mostly raw, a grilled cheese sandwich that usually only had one slice of bread on it, and then mystery meat for dinner every day for a year. Because that was my life, George, every day. Paul, you have it easy with two weeks.”

“Do you think London’s would be better?” Paul asked hopefully.

“Probably. Then again, that’s probably not saying much,” Ringo answered.

“He’s probably only going to be eating ice cream anyway,” John tried, uncertainty in his voice.

“Is that true, about the ice cream?” Paul asked Brian.

“It is. Now can we move on—“

“Hey, did you hear they’re suing the guy that left a sponge in that other guy?” George said excitedly, ignoring Brian completely. Brian gave him a warning look. But George didn’t even notice him.

“Well, yeah they should sue him. What he did was a disgrace,” John replied. “You know, he should be arrested.”

“They could, but I don’t know about that. Doctors make mistakes all the time,” Ringo commented. Paul froze, staring at Ringo in shock and fear. “Well, they won’t make any on you—probably.” Paul was not convinced, not one bit. “Look, yours is really brief and simple. There isn’t much room for a mistake.”

“But the sponge—“

“Forget the sponge! It happened once. Once. What are the chances that it will happen again in a different hospital during a completely different type of procedure?” Brian ranted. They all stared at him in shock. He continued, still angry. “Boys, you have to stop scaring Paul. he is already nervous and you are only making it worse.”

“But it could happen,” Paul said quietly.

“So could a lot of things. A meteor could hit the restaurant. We could eat some bad fish and get salmonella poisoning. So many things could kill us from here and back, but you don’t think about it do you? Because you can’t obsess over possibilities that are really unlikely. Paul, please, understand that yes there is a chance that something could happen, but no, it probably won’t. in fact, I am almost certain that it won’t. and am I ever wrong?” they all shook their heads. “Good. Now let’s please just enjoy our meal.”

Shortly after that they got their food. Paul ordered the chicken, but he really wasn’t that hungry so he just picked at it.

“You’re really gonna wanna eat that,” Brian told him quietly.

“I’m just not that hungry.”

“But what Ringo said earlier about the food is pretty accurate. And besides, it’s Chicken Maryland, your favorite.” Paul smiled a little, and cut off a piece of his chicken and took a small bite.

“I have a question,” Paul called out suddenly. They all looked at him. “At what point tomorrow do I have to stop eating?”

“8AM.” Paul looked at his manager in shock. “Well, your surgery’s at 8 PM so…”

“So, by 8 o’clock tomorrow I’m gonna be…?”

“Yeah,” John finished, stroking his arm.

Paul looked at him, his lip quivering and his eyes filled with tears. John wiped them away.

“Smile, you’re candid camera,” he said softly. He brushed back his fringe. “But just think, by Monday morning this whole thing will be over.”

“Yeah, and we can return to our normal lives,” Ringo added.

“And you can feel better about all of this for the future, right?” Paul nodded.

“Right,” he whispered.


	12. Settling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They drop Paul off at the hospital and say their goodbyes.

They were due at the hospital around six, so they started getting ready at about 5. Paul had to pack his suitcase and the others had to get their answers prepared for the press. There would be about hundred press agents outside of the hospital, maybe even more, and they were expecting frequent updates. Brian was prepared to give them hourly updates during the day and bi-hourly updates during the operation itself. He promised that if there was an emergency, they’d be notified right away.

John’s answers were all very short and a bit curt. He had no desire to give the press his real opinions o the matter. Ringo, however, wanted to talk about how the operation was affecting them and glad to be the spokesperson for the group. George agreed to give brief answers but to try to bring some whit to the situation. Paul was not taking questions.

John helped Paul pack his suitcase, packing four pairs of pajamas, a throw blanket, and some slippers. He threw in his toothbrush, a hairbrush, and some floss and he was set. But he didn’t feel very victorious. He sat on the bed and stared at the window, his suitcase at his feet, while John added a few extra pairs of pajamas into the mix.

When he finished, he joined Paul by the window. It was raining outside. The sound of the rain was the only thing they heard for several long minutes. Then, Brian came in.

“The cab’s downstairs. We got to go.”

Paul stared out the window, looking like he was about to break, but he didn’t. he just simply got up, crossed the room, and followed Brian out the door, with John right behind him wielding his suitcase.

They arrived at the hospital at six, as planned. They walked Paul into the inpatient ward and over to the front desk. The woman behind the desk was a young twenty-something with short brown hair and a nice smile. She asked if they had a reservation and Brian explained who they were and why they were there. She told them that everything was ready to go for him, and they could take him back immediately. This made Paul tense up. He looked nervously between Brian and John, and instinctively grabbed John’s hands. he was starting to hyperventilate.

“It’s fine, Paul, everything is going to be fine,” Brian told him. “You still got a whole day before you have to go in, okay?”

“Okay.” He let go of John’s hand and moved reluctantly over to the receptionist. He looked back at his friends who waved to him. He waved back.

“We’ll see you in a bit,” Brian told him. He still looked weary. John looked anxiously up at Brian. Brian gave him a reassuring look.

“Just relax. It’s all easy stuff tonight,” Ringo told him.

“They’re doing stuff?”

“Yeah, like X-rays and stuff. It’s no big deal,” Ringo reassured him. Paul nodded reluctantly.

“Plus, it’s not like we’re not gonna see you. They’re gonna let us back.”

“Yeah, it’ll go by like that,” John told him, his voice high pitched. Paul nodded, still looking scared.

“So, are we ready?” she asked him. He looked fearfully at her.

“Just give us a minute.” She nodded and returned to her desk. Brian came over to him, and stroked his hair back. “I love you and I believe in you.” He hugged him. He let him go and then passed him to George and Ringo, who hugged him at the same time. 

“This is so ridiculously easy, you’re gonna hate yourself for ever freaking out about it,” Ringo told him. Paul looked skeptically at him. He turned to George expectantly. George hugged him tightly.

“You’re not going to war,” George told him dryly. That actually made Paul smile a little. “Good luck,” he told him with more sincerity.

Then, Paul faced John; who was trying not to look anyone in the eyes. Paul squeezed his hands and met John’s eyes. John bit his lip and looked down. When he looked back up he had tears in his eyes.

“My Paul,” was the only thing he could manage to say. Paul nodded and hugged him so tightly. John kissed his head and then continued to hug him.

After two full minutes, the receptionist tapped Paul on the shoulder. He pulled away, a bit miffed.

“We really have to go now,” she said gently. He turned to John who just nodded, looking terrified. Paul bit his lip, gave John’s hands one last squeeze, and then let go, following her back into the ward.

The boys were left standing there, stunned.

“We should sit down,” Ringo suggested, still a little out of it. The others followed suit, but John was stationary.

“John,” Brian encouraged. “Come on.” He wouldn’t budge. “He’ll be fine, just sit down.” John reluctantly sat down, letting all his worries wash over him.

Down the hallway, the receptionist walked Paul into his room. It was about two thirds down the hall, passed a long row of sick people, most of whom had their doors shut, something Paul was grateful for. His room was small with white and cream wallpaper and a picture of a seashell on the wall. There was a tiny TV with bunny ears facing his bed. he also had a small bedside table that was already stacked with magazines. There was a pink armchair in the corner, where he presumed John would nap in. the bed itself was wide and very rickety, with lots of metal bars. It was high off the ground, which he figured would only make the experience of getting up and out of bed even harder. He decided that it was all terrible, and the idea of spending two weeks there was dreadful.

“Can I stay somewhere else?” He asked her. She chuckled.

“Oh, honey, all the rooms are the same. In fact, this is one of the best we have in the inpatient ward.”

“Well…do I have to stay here?”

She laughed again.

“You’re so silly,” she said, brushing him off. Then she continued more seriously, “now this is going to be your room for the next two weeks. If you have any requests, concerns, and especially if you have an emergency, there’s a little call button attached to a wire on your bed. hit that if need be. Also, the nurse should be in here in a few minutes.” He nodded and she left the room handing him his suitcase.

He sat on the edge of the bed, keeping his suitcase close to him.


	13. A Surprise Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Paul gets scared over a little needle, the nurse calls in backup, and so Paul gets a surprise visitor (a lot earlier than he thought).

He sat on the edge of the bed, keeping his suitcase close to him. He didn’t move at all until the nurse came in the room. He recognized her from Dr. Williams’ office. 

“Hi Paul, I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Megan. Now, I’m just going to need you to lie back on the bed so we can get you settled.”

“Could we just sit here?”

“No, I’m gonna need you to lay back.” He reluctantly laid down and she took his vital signs. After that she told him to put on his pajamas and that they would be back in a little bit to take him for his X-rays. He wasn’t excited for it. 

After he got changed, he crawled into the bed and just as he started to relax, the nurse came back and told him that he had to go for his X-rays.   
The X-rays didn’t take long, and he was glad. What he was not thrilled about having to walk all through the hospital passing sick person, after sick person, after sick person. it was starting to really freak him out, and just before he was about to snap, he had arrived back at his room. Never had he thought he’d be so glad to reenter that room. 

Once he was back, Megan announced happily that his friends would be allowed to see him soon. He just had to do one quick thing first. 

“I’m just going to have to take a little bit of blood.”

“Blood?!” He screeched. “You mean from my arm?”

“Yes from your arm.” She was being more polite than ever. She pulled from her pocket a syringe. “It’s just a little bit of blood.” He looked like he was going to cry or throw up. “You’re overreacting,” she told him, stroking the crook of his elbow. “Here, why don’t I do it on someone else first and you can see.”

“Who? There’s no one else here.” 

A smile spread across her face before she quickly left the room. He was left bewildered and a little relieved. But just as he thought he was off the hook, she came rushing back in with a surprise: John! Who also looked confused—and little pale. 

“She told me what’s going on and I agreed to it. there is one condition,” he said. Paul nodded.

“Sure, anything.”

“You tell this anecdote in an interview someday and make me sound like the hero.”

“Don’t worry,” Paul told him, squeezing his hand. “You are a hero.” He grinned. Then squealed a little. 

“You’re here, you’re actually here.”

“But they said I can’t stay. I’m just here to get stabbed and then it’s back to the waiting room/dungeon of boredom.”

“Is it that bad?”

“No, Ringo brought a deck of cards and Brian’s been discussing our latest records sales, so that’s fun. What about you? How’ve they been treatin’ ya?” Paul shrugged.

“S’alright. How long have I been here? It feels like hours.”

“Roughly 40 minutes. But don’t worry, after this it’ll be an hour and then you just have to do about three of those before you can actually fall asleep, and then a bunch more tomorrow. Repeat that for the following five days and you are set.” Paul cringed. 

“Well, I am certainly regretting one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Not bringing my teddy bear. I only left him at home because I was afraid that it’d be…”

“Be massively dorky. It is, but I understand. I’d probably want a little furry friend with me too as I wait for my doom.” Paul narrowed his eyes at him. John did the   
same back. 

“So, should we take some blood?” Megan interjected. John nodded and stuck out his arm. 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Paul asked worriedly. 

“It’s fine. It’s just a little—ow!” He jerked his arm away, being shocked by the prick of the needle. 

“I’ll have to get another needle. Hold on.” 

After she left, John winked at him. 

“Did you do that on purpose?”

“I just thought you might like five minutes alone—with me. not like by yourself. My god that’s all you’re gonna have the next week.” Paul smiled a little.

“You’re seriously amazing.”

“That is a fact.” They two shared a smile. Then, John said, “You know, I’d do it again.” Paul looked at him in surprise. “Not right now, because my god that kills. But   
another time.”

“Yes, another time where I am in the hospital getting blood and you are called on to support me.” John smirked. 

“It could happen.” Paul nudged him. 

“You’re so weird.”

“In a good way?”

“The best way.” And they hugged. "I really missed you."

"Paul, it's been forty minutes." 

"I know, but, I've been here all alone and I've been so scared and I just missed you is all," he rambled, looking doe-eyed and cute. It made John dreamy-eyed. 

"Oh, you," he said, pushing him a little. "You're such a baby deer."

Paul laughed. 

"So, you didn't miss me, then?"

"Of course I missed you, silly."   
He nudged him again, gently. His gaze held for just too long. He was about to say something else when the door opened.

Megan came back in with two new syringes and some gauze. She told John to sit down and to not move at all this time. He vowed to keep still, but she still didn’t   
seem to trust him. Paul stood by, looking concerned. John winked at him. 

“I’m alright, Paul,” he told him. He nodded, but still seemed uncertain. 

“Are we ready?” Megan asked him and John nodded. Paul squeezed his shoulder. John had a perfect poker face, focusing on the wall in front of him as the nurse punctured his skin. Paul squeaked, but John remained still. 

She finished fast, wrapping his arm in a bandage. He just stared at it for a second, seeming disoriented. 

“Are you alright?” Paul asked in concern. John nodded, seeming dazed. “Are you sure?” Paul asked again. “That was a huge needle!” John shrugged.

“I’ve had worse,” he commented casually. He patted Paul on the arm, “You’ll do fine.” Paul cringed. He peeked over at Megan who was prepping another needle. He quickly looked away. “Just don’t look,” John told him hurriedly. 

Suddenly, Megan turned to them and said, “Alright, are we ready?” Her voice was chipper and her eyes shined. Paul thought that she had lost her marbles.   
He stammered a response. “I, uh, I think so.” 

She smiled at him. He tried smiling to be polite but he could only cringe. John moved closer to him, squeezing his shoulder. And continuing to smile, Megan prepped Paul’s arm. She tied a little band around his bicep and lightly caressed the crook of his elbow.   
“You have small veins,” she commented. Paul didn’t think that was a necessary criticism. 

“Oh God,” John murmured, closing his eyes and touching his forehead with his hand. Paul looked anxiously between him and Megan. He tried jerking his arm away but he remembered what happened to John and kept it still. 

“Are we ready?” She asked him carefully. He looked at John, who just nodded, so he nodded too. Megan wiped his arm down with an alcohol pad. This only made 

Paul more anxious. He reached out towards John, who responded by squeezing his hand tightly. Megan slowly aimed the needle towards his arm. Paul wanted to jerk it away, but he kept reminding himself of the consequences. But he was startled by it, and feeling that it was all happening so fast. 

“Can you just wait a second?” he called out. She stopped suddenly, pulling the syringe away. 

“Are you okay?” She asked in concern. 

He shook his head and looked over at John. 

“Do you really think that I can do this?” 

“Of course, Paul, it’s just a little needle,” he reassured him. “I did it. Lots of people have. You have, I’m sure.” Paul shook his head again, starting to really panic. 

“But the whole thing it’s just…” he kept shaking his head, “It’s too much.” 

“You have to do something!” John responded, “Do you need me to do it again?” John demanded. Paul shook his head.

“I don’t want you getting hurt.” 

“Of course you don’t.” he paused, “Then what?” 

“Just tell me that it’s going to be over soon and that you’ll be here the whole time.” 

John nodded, but before he could say it, Megan had already taken off the band and bandaged his arm. They both stared in shock as she stuffed a vile of Paul’s blood in her pocket.

“I didn’t…I didn’t know…I…”

“See? It was easy, right?” She was grinning now. He barely nodded, still so bewildered. “Okay, I will see you before bedtime. Dr. Williams will be in soon to check you over and once that’s done your friends can finally see you.”

“What about me?” John asked her. 

“You can go back to the waiting room.” He looked deflated, and a little annoyed. “It won’t be long. Dr. Williams just has to look him over, that’s all.” John reluctantly nodded and followed her out the door. He gave Paul a little wave before leaving, the door shutting on his face.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John returns to the waiting room with some alarm from the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up. I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I promise to post another longer chapter soon.

When John got back to the waiting room, the whole gang looked at him in anticipation. John barely glanced at them as he slumped into his chair. Ringo and George were sitting at his feet, playing cards over a coffee table. Brian was sitting a few seats over, his briefcase beside him, paperwork spilling out. He had a few documents in his lap, which he abandoned the moment John stepped into the room. 

“So?” George asked, trying to hide his eagerness. “How was he?”

“He’s fine,” he replied glumly. “And besides, you’ll see him again in a little while. The doctor just has to give him a once over before we can go in,” he explained. 

“See, that’s not that long of a wait,” Brian reassured him. John just shrugged. 

“It could still be a while,” John griped. 

“You’re so anxious. I don’t know how you’re going to get through this,” Ringo said. “You know it’s a lot of waiting.”

“I know,” he sighed. “But Paul needs me.”

“We know he does, and apparently, he needed you to get stabbed,” George pointed out. John quickly rolled down his sleeve.

“It was just a little bit of blood.”

“Did he do his?”

“Yes, but he had some trouble.”

“Of course he did,” Brian muttered. “But did he do okay?” John nodded. “And our little trooper must’ve done well. How about we get you some ice cream?”

“Ooh! I want ice cream!” George exclaimed. 

“Actually, I’m gonna go off by myself,” John told them, before taking off. 

“Don’t get lost!” Brian shouted after him. “And don’t harass any nurses!”

“No, and no!” He shouted back, before completely disappearing down the hallway.


	15. Touted As A Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick chapter with John and the others out in the waiting room.

When John got back to the waiting room, the whole gang looked at him in anticipation. John barely glanced at them as he slumped into his chair. Ringo and George were sitting at his feet, playing cards over a coffee table. Brian was sitting a few seats over, his briefcase beside him, paperwork spilling out. He had a few documents in his lap, which he abandoned the moment John stepped into the room. 

“So?” George asked, trying to hide his eagerness. “How was he?”

“He’s fine,” he replied glumly. “And besides, you’ll see him again in a little while. The doctor just has to give him a once over before we can go in,” he explained. 

“See, that’s not that long of a wait,” Brian reassured him. John just shrugged. 

“It could still be a while,” John griped. 

“You’re so anxious. I don’t know how you’re going to get through this,” Ringo said. “You know it’s a lot of waiting.”

“I know,” he sighed. “But Paul needs me.”

“We know he does, and apparently, he needed you to get stabbed,” George pointed out. John quickly rolled down his sleeve.

“It was just a little bit of blood.”

“Did he do his?”

“Yes, but he had some trouble.”

“Of course he did,” Brian muttered. “But did he do okay?” John nodded. “And our little trooper must’ve done well. How about we get you some ice cream?”

“Ooh! I want ice cream!” George exclaimed. 

“Actually, I’m gonna go off by myself,” John told them, before taking off. 

“Don’t get lost!” Brian shouted after him. “And don’t harass any nurses!”

“No, and no!” He shouted back, before completely disappearing down the hallway.


	16. Oh, NOt ME

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paul gets a visit from his doctor, who doesn't make him feel better at all.

Back in Paul’s room, Paul waited anxiously for the doctor to arrive. He wished that he’d hurry up and come so he could hurry up and finish. All he wanted was for the bad parts to be over so he could relax and enjoy his time with the others—as soon as they were allowed in. the waiting was killing him.  
Finally, Dr. Williams came bursting through the door. He was not at all dressed for a medical setting. He had on a pinstripe suit, a fedora, and had a cigar dangling from his mouth. Paul did a double-take when he saw him.

“I wasn’t supposed to come in tonight,” he explained, setting his fedora on the night-side table. He stripped off his jacket and Megan put on a white lab coat. The cigar was snuffed out, but another was placed in his jacket pocket. He continued his explanation. “You see, I had an anniversary dinner, and I was going to have one of the other docs come in and do your very simple examination, but the chief of surgery insisted that I look over you myself since I am going to be the one operating on you in just 25 short hours. Ah, I’m just so excited.” Megan beamed. 

“It’s going to be a grand time, Dr. Williams,” she agreed.

“Anyway, we’ll take care of your little operation—which is fast approaching my friend—and your lovely little adenoids will be disposed of, per your manager’s instructions.”

“They’re going to be cremated, I believe.”

“Yes, so the mad teenagers can’t get to them. it’s actually a fine plan. We should do that with all our removed organs. Megan, write that down.” She pulled out a pad and pencil and pretended to write down what he said. The doctor then turned to Paul, looking eager. Paul gulped. “Don’t worry. It’s just a quick examination. But I do remember how you detest these.” He nodded. “No need. They’re easy. Now, Megan, get me my stethoscope.” He was promptly handed his stethoscope. He then began the examination. 

They were right, it didn’t take long. He only did the basic things; examination of the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. He did check his heart and lungs, but that’s really the extent of it. Paul was relieved. He was eager for Dr. Williams to make his exit so his friends could come in, but he didn’t leave so soon.   
“You know, McCartney,” he was saying, leaning on the bed-post. He was now smoking that cigar. “You really have a fine voice. I was listening to some of your records, you know, to really get to know that voice of yours. Man, can you do Little Richard just like the man himself. In fact, that’s probably what landed you in here. All that vocal strain.”

“You mean, if I wasn’t a singer, I wouldn’t have to get surgery?”

“If you didn’t sing like that fine colored gentlemen, then perhaps not. Though, there’s no way of knowing.” Paul was going to ask if he should continue, but the doctor spoke before he could get a word out. “You know, it’s best not to dwell on things like that. Especially, when you are as magnificently talented as you are. Isn’t that right, Megan?”

“Oh yes, he is very talented. I have all of your records,” she gushed. 

“And did you ever think you were going to not only see him in person, but have him on your table. I told my daughter and she was thrilled. Oh, she went on about it for days. She asked if she could tag along, but I told her that’d be inappropriate. You wouldn’t mind signing an autograph, right?” He shook his head.

“Fine by—“

“Yes, she is a fine girl. You got kids?”

“No.”

“Good. Being childless is the way to go.”

“Don’t you have—“

“So, anyway, I was having dinner with my wife, and I didn’t want to come in. who would want to come in? I wouldn’t want to come in. would you want to come in?” Paul wasn’t sure how to answer that. “But, my job was on the line. In fact, after that whole sponge thing, I’m lucky I’m still here.” Paul’s eyes bulged. He looked up at Dr. Williams in awestruck horror. 

“You are the doctor from the news?”

“The news? No, you mean Dr. Wasserman. He’s a friend of mine. we went to Medical School together. In fact, he was just fired from the hospital down the street. He may get his job back, who knows. I hope he lands on his feet. Nice guy. Great family.”

“He had us over to dinner before. Wonderful house. Oh, I hope he doesn’t lose it in the lawsuit,” Megan commented. 

“Probably. It’s a doozy. I’m glad I never actually lost anyone doing that—or anything. I’ve never lost a patient.”

“He came close a couple of times, but he always comes back.” the doctor beamed proudly. He was glowing.

“Yes, I am quite the surgeon. Top in my class, you know,” he boasted. 

“He really is a fine surgeon. I’ve worked with many surgeons, and he is by far the best.”

“But what about the sponge?” 

“Oh, the sponge!” he guffawed. “That little thing? It got caught in this guy’s nose.”

“His nose?” 

“Don’t worry, people get things stuck up their noses all the time. a sponge is no different.”

“What if it got stuck somewhere else?” Dr. William studied him for a moment. Then he laughed again.

“You think I’m gonna leave a sponge in you.” Paul wasn’t sure what to say. He just looked scared and bewildered. “Look, kid, this stuff happens all the time and a good doctor knows how to deal with it. now a bad doctor, he doesn’t locate the object immediately where it remains in someone’s windpipe.” 

“That happened?”

“Yes, because Dr. Wasserman was number 80 in our class of 84. But you, you have number one.” Megan clapped a little. “And, you have a great team. So, what are you worried about?” 

“You leaving a sponge inside of my body.” He laughed again.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, kid. Get a good night’s sleep,” he called as he went out the door. Megan gave him a reassuring look before exiting the room. 

“I’ll be back later,” she called out before shutting the door behind her. 

He was so preoccupied about the sponge situation that he almost forgot that in just a few minutes, his friends would be allowed to see him—finally!


	17. Reunited And It Feels So Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys finally get to visit Paul, even if it's only for a little while.

He was so preoccupied about the sponge situation that he almost forgot that in just a few minutes, his friends would be allowed to see him—finally!   
Just a few minutes later they came bursting through the door, and Paul felt all his troubles about sponges and adenoids slip away—at least for a moment. They came over to him, hopping onto his bed. they were all smiling. Brian slowly walked over, sitting in a chair beside his bed. He tousled his hair. 

“How are you holding up, sweetie?” Paul shrugged. 

“They gave me needles.”

“We know,” George replied. “John told us.”

“And showed us,” Ringo added, pointing to John’s arm. John’s arms, Paul suddenly noticed, were tucked behind his back.

“What are you hiding?” John smirked and kept it hidden. Paul grabbed at it but he kept it away until finally he tossed it into Paul’s hands. it was a get well teddy bear. 

“I got it at the gift shop,” he explained, smiling brightly, “because you said that you didn’t have a teddy bear to bring.”

“That’s so thoughtful.” He hugged him tightly. 

“Now you have someone to talk to between visiting hours!” George said happily. Paul cringed. 

“Hey, it won’t be so bad,” Ringo told him. “We can visit from 9 AM to 9 PM. You’re gonna spend a lot of that time in between sleeping.”

“Yeah, and it’s not like you’re gonna be here longer than a week. Assuming there are no complications.”

Paul was suddenly reminded why he was here and why he had been so upset before they came in. 

“You guys are staying, right?” He suddenly called out, sounding very anxious. 

“For a little while,” John answered gently. 

“Yeah, but we gotta leave by nine,” George added. Paul whined. 

“What time are you coming tomorrow?”

“9 AM exactly,” Brian assured him. “And of course we will be staying all day.”

“And into the night,” John added. “Until we can see you again after…” Paul whimpered. 

“Hey, sweetie, it won’t be that bad,” Ringo told him for the millionth time. “Like we’ve said, it’s really easy and fast. It’s not like it’s gonna take hours and hours and hours.”

“No, just two,” he said quietly. 

“Two hours?” John exclaimed. “That’s a bit excessive, isn’t it?”

“John, they’re removing an organ—well, a gland—several glands. They’re taking out several glands. This takes time.”

“Yeah, and you have to consider how long it’s gonna take to get him under,” Ringo added. Paul and John sucked in a sharp breath. 

“So, he’ll be in there longer?” John was really starting to panic. 

“In comparison to other more serious operations, it really isn’t that long.” 

“Well, I still don’t like it,” John announced.

“And I definitely don’t,” Paul agreed.

“You don’t have to. You just have to do it,” Brian told him firmly. Paul nodded, but he didn’t agree.


	18. Should've Known Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paul's surgery is 24 hours away and no one is quite sure how to make Paul feel better about it.

For a while they just sat quietly and watched TV. No one could really focus on the show, but they all pretended like they were really engrossed in it. there was no real conversation, just small talk. They were only interrupted once, when Paul got his dinner.

“Sorry it’s so late, but we had to get you settled first,” the nurse told him, placing the tray over his lap. It was spinach and some sort of chicken. 

“I told you,” Ringo sang. Paul just shrugged, picking at it. 

“Now I kind of regret not eating more of that Chicken Maryland,” he commented. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and pushed it aside. 

“You know, you should really eat something. You know you probably won’t be able to eat till tomorrow night,” Brian told him. 

“Because of the fasting” He was growing concerned. It was all becoming too real. His eyes were saucer-like and he was breathing these shallow breaths. John put his arm around him and told him to relax. Paul looked at him longingly and then fell into his arms. 

“It’s okay. It’s still 24 hours away.”

“They’ll go by fast. I just know it. I’ll blink and the next thing I’ll know I’ll be in surgery,” Paul whined. John tightened his grip on Paul. 

“That’s not true. This is going to be a really long night,” Ringo told him, trying to help before quickly realizing that wasn’t helping at all. Everyone turned to look at   
him. Brian gave him a warning look. 

“Do you mean that?” Paul urged. Ringo sighed and knelt down next to him, looking him in the eyes. 

“Paulie, mate, I am going to be completely honest with you right now. All this waiting is torture. But, eventually you’ll fall asleep and you’ll wake up in the morning   
feeling a lot better—well, worse because you still have all day to wait for your operation. But come Monday morning, you’ll feel refreshed. That’s when you can really relax.”

“But what do I do until then?”

“Honestly, Paul, you just kind of got to deal with it. You’re gonna feel these feelings no matter what and the longer you sit with them the worse there gonna be.” 

Paul considered what he was saying, feeling a sense of dread wash over him. “I don’t want to upset you, but that’s how it is. It’s scary until it’s not. This time tomorrow you’re gonna realize how much time you wasted being scared over something this inane.”

“Is it really that inane?” 

“It doesn’t seem that way,” George interjected. “I mean, surgery is still surgery. Isn’t that really intense?” 

“Not really, and besides, we’ve been over this before. There really isn’t anything I can say that can convince you—any of you, but this is the truth and it’s worth   
saying.” 

After a long pause John said suddenly, “I still wouldn’t call it inane.”

“It’s adenoids. It’s as inane as it gets. They’re just gonna pry his mouth open, go way into the back of his throat, and cut off those pesky little adenoids. Seriously,   
what do you think is so terrible about that?” they were all looking at him in awestruck horror.

“Brian…is that what they do?” 

“Not in those terms but—“

“Brian, tell me, is that what they do?” Paul demanded, looking right at him. Brian sighed and came over to him, stroking his hair. 

“Sweetie, it’s really the only way they can do it. But like Ringo’s been saying all along, it really isn’t that bad. Think of it as not even happening to you, but to your…  
self.” He looked down at Paul, who considered a son, and suddenly felt the weight of what was going to happen to him. He quickly grabbed him and pulled him into   
a tight hug, holding onto him for several minutes.


	19. Pillows and Goodbyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys conduct a pillow fight in the eleventh hour of their visit. They end it with a sweet goodbye.

He was interrupted by one of the nurses coming in and telling him that he had a phone call. He reluctantly let go of Paul and rushed out of the room. The other three gathered around Paul and gave him a knowing look.

“What?” 

“Well, we only have like 20 minutes left with you, so we want to get this out of the way.”

“What?” He was getting concerned now. They exchanged a knowing look. Paul was really concerned now. all of a sudden, John whacked him in the head with a pillow. Paul was left in shock before he jumped right into action, taking his pillow and hitting John with it, who blocked all of his hits, but after Paul started to get frustrated John stopped blocking them and just let him pummel him with a pillow. The others joined in, hitting Paul with pillows too. 

Soon, it was an all out war. Each Beatle had their corner of the room where they stood in a ready position wielding their pillow. Paul nodded to George, who nodded to John, who screamed out, “go!” and the four ran into each other in the center of the room, pushing each other using their pillows as shields. George got fed up with this quickly and broke that chain, letting go, letting the others nearly trip forward. He ran away, hiding behind the door. John chased after him, beating his head with his pillow. George was defenseless, eventually he surrendered, offering himself as a slave. John told him that was not an option and hit him one more time before running off to tackle someone else. 

Paul and Ringo chased each other around the room, pushing each other into walls before dodging the other and escaping. Paul managed to get under the bed, where he planned on hiding until the war was over. Ringo left him alone choosing to go after George, who was now seeking revenge on John. Just before he could whack John on the back, Ringo got him, hitting him in the ass with the pillow. George tried to take it from him but Ringo had an iron grip. John used this opportunity to sneak away and find Paul. 

He found him under the bed, which was pretty easy to do since there was no bed skirt. He crawled under there with him, pushing his pillow aside. At first Paul was going to run but John assured him that he wasn’t going to attack him. 

“You know, we don’t have much time left before we have to go home,” John told him. Paul groaned. His best mate patted his shoulder. “It’ll be morning before you know it. and besides, you’re gonna see us all day tomorrow.”

“I could see you all day every day if I wanted to, but…” 

“I know,” John told him sadly, “But there really isn’t anything we can do about that,” he said, a look of realization crossing his face. “You have to stay here,” he nearly shrieked. He looked bewildered and a little scared. He turned to face Paul and let out a little whine. “I don’t think I can leave you in here by yourself, you know.”

“Well, you have to. You can’t stay here all night.”

“I know, I know, it’s just still so…”

“What?” 

“Unfair,” he whispered and then punched the bedpost. Paul picked up his pillow. 

“Take your frustrations out on the pillow. we don’t need you in here for a broken hand.” John smiled a little and took the pillow. 

“And Paul, I just want to say—“ and he whacked him with the pillow. they both crawled out from under the bed, standing on opposite sides. Neither could escape, because the other kept blocking them from leaving their side. So they were both stuck. This made John laugh, but for some reason it just made Paul sniffle. John dropped his pillow and climb over the bed. “What’s wrong hon—“ and before he could finish, Paul was once again beating him with a pillow. John didn’t stay down for long, picking up his pillow and joining the fight. 

On the other side of the room, George was hiding underneath a chair and Ringo was standing on top of it, armed with a pillow, ready for an attack, in case George escaped. Back on the bed, Paul and John were still locked in battle, but after a couple of minutes, they got tired and threw themselves on the bed. they tossed the pillows aside and just laid there.

“That was awesome!” Paul declared.

“It was,” John agreed. Then, smirking he said, “you know that I won, right?”Paul looked insulted.

“You won?” He responded in outrage. “Oh give me a break. I was so much better than you.”

“Really?”

“I was better at sneak attacks.”

“Oh, were you?” and John grabbed his pillow and whacked Paul again. He jumped up and hit him again. The pair jumped up and down on the bed, laughing and   
occasionally hitting each other with pillows. They were actually feeling really good when all of the sudden the door burst open and Brian stepped inside followed by the nurse Megan. He looked confused at first and then furious. 

“Boys! What the hell?” he shouted. 

They all stopped dead. George crawled out from behind the chair and crawled under the bed. “George out from under there, and John and Paul, get down off the bed. now!” they hopped down, looking ashamed. They tossed the pillows aside. There were feathers everywhere. “Line up, now.” They stood side by side, their shoulders touching. They exchanged worried glances as Brian scrutinized the lot of them. finally, he spoke. He sounded calmer, but he didn’t look calmer. “Boys, you do realize that you are not in a hotel. You are in a hospital, and your little games just can’t go on here.”

“What about poker—“

“John, please for the love of God just shut up right now. I know that you are all stressed, but this is too much. You could’ve broken the bed! Paul could’ve gotten hurt.”

“It was a pillow fight,” George whispered. 

“I understand that you were trying to have fun, but seriously, act like adults. This is a serious situation and I expect your behavior to reflect that,” he scolded. He took a deep breath, “Now say your goodbyes.”

“Already?” George complained. John looked over at Paul, who looked seconds away from crying.

“We can’t leave yet. Not like this—“

“We’ll be here in the morning.”

“But we can’t just leave after getting yelled at!” John argued. “And besides, we really haven’t been here that long. An hour at the most.”

“Yeah, we only got to watch one episode of Bonanza,” George added. 

“If it’s time to go, then it’s time to go,” Ringo told them.

“Teacher’s pet,” John muttered.

“What did you say—“

“Alright! All the fighting stops now!” he yelled. They quieted down. “We will talk about this later, alright?” they all nodded. “Good, now let’s say our goodbyes.”

Paul got back into the bed and Brian tucked him in. he leaned in close and said, “I am so sorry for yelling at you, but I am just so stressed out right now. The press wants to know every detail about your operation. I am just so drained. Plus, you have to understand that this is serious.”

“I know, that’s why we were just trying to have fun.”

“I know, honey, just forget about it and please, get a good night’s sleep.” He gently kissed his head before walking away. the others crowded around him, each   
taking turns hugging him for a very long time. they each took a few turns and every turn was very long. Finally, Brian put a stop to it, telling them that they had to   
hurry up. so, they each gave him one last hug, and together they sang, “We love you, Paulie, oh yes we do. When you are not near to us, we’re blue. Paulie we love   
you.” Laughing, they all hugged; Paul, in the middle, was crying. John wiped his tears away and gave him a little kiss on his cheek. 

“We’re gonna miss you,” George said to him, starting to walk away.

“Yeah, but we’ll be back tomorrow,” Ringo added, following after him. 

John was the only one left still standing next to him. Paul gave him an encouraging nod, but underneath of that he was begging, pleading with him not to go. His   
eyes said it all. He hated this place and he didn’t want to be left alone in it. John, knowing him so well, instantly got this, and let himself fall to his knees, locking eyes, and squeezing both of his hands. 

“We have to go,” Ringo told him, trying to pull him away. he pushed him off and refocused on his Paul. 

Brian pushed passed Ringo and knelt down next to John. 

“You’re gonna have to go, sweetie,” he whispered. He shook his head. 

“I can’t leave him,” he cried, tears filling his eyes. He looked back at Paul who looked so desperate and pleading. He squeezed his hands harder. Brian started to   
pull him away. he tried to fight but Brian had him in a tight grip. 

“You have to go, John! You have to let him go!” 

Breathing heavily, tears still in his eyes, John said to him, his voice rough, “I love you and I will miss you.”

“I love you and I’ll miss you too,” Paul replied, desperation in his voice. John looked pleadingly up at Brian, who just gave him a warning look. 

“You guys got to go now,” Megan told them gently. Brian told her that he understood and urged John to come with them. he looked back at Paul, who looked scared and alone, lying on that big bed all by himself, and all his instincts told him to run right to him and pull him in his arms, but he knew somewhere deep inside of him that he had to let him go, even if it was just for a little while. 

“Alright, let’s go,” he told Brian distantly. Brian was relieved, quickly pulling him out of the room before there were any delays. 

As they were going, John and Paul watched each other, reaching out towards the other, smirking. Their eyes, however, did not reflect that. Their eyes were solemn. Their longing for each other was apparent in their gaze.


	20. Insomnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paul is left alone in the hospital and is having trouble sleeping. The boys are at home and they definitely miss Paul.

Finally, the boys were gone and Paul was left alone with the nurse and the teddy bear that John gave him. He hugged it close to his chest, biting the ear.   
Megan came over to him. She gave him an apologetic look as she revealed that she was there to hook him up to his IV. He gulped. She told him to relax, but that was futile. He was hyperventilating at this point. 

“Wait, can you just hold on for a second?” he begged. He kept looking between her and the needle, his eyes wide. She squeezed his shoulders, looked him in the eyes and told him to breathe. 

“Paul, honey, you are going to have to trust me, because I’m going to have to do this a lot.” Now he was really starting to panic. “Just take a deep breath, squeeze your bear, and remember it’ll be over in a second.” Paul took a very deep shallow breath and squeezed the bear as tightly as possible. She positioned his arm right and got the needle set up. As she was wiping his arm down with rubbing alcohol, she said to him, “Now, this is going to pinch a little bit, but it’ll be over very fast.” He nodded, squeezing his eyes shut and balling his hand into a fist. She then very carefully eased the needle into his skin. He squeaked a little. “You’re doing great,” she told him as she taped the needle down. When she was finished she told him to open his eyes. He peeked, just barely glancing at the needle stuck in his arm. 

“Is that gonna be there all night?”

“It’s fine. After it’s in it doesn’t really bother you.” He wasn’t sure if that was a line or if that was really true, but he somehow doubted that it was. “Now, I am done with you for the night. I know this has been a hard day, but you can finally just relax, watch TV, and just hang out. Just get plenty of rest and everything will be just fine tomorrow.” He nodded, but he didn’t feel relaxed. Not one bit. 

She left him alone and he once again found himself sulking. He took her advice and turned on the TV, but got frustrated with it pretty quickly. He flicked it off and rolled over, facing the wall, looking glum.

For a while Paul just stayed in that position, sulking. He was squeezing his teddy bear tightly, thinking about John and the others, wishing that they were still with him. They hadn’t been gone long, but he already missed them. he groaned, realizing it was going to be a long night. 

In Brian’s car, the boys sat in silence, thinking about how they had to leave poor Paul behind. John was pressed up against the window, sulking. He kept picturing his Paul, lying in that bed, vulnerable and alone. He regretted leaving him there like that. He wished that Brian would turn the car around and drop him back off at the hospital. He’d give anything to see his Paulie again. George and Ringo were sitting close together, both feeling Paul’s presence gone. Brian, in the front seat, was trying to focus on the road but his mind kept drifting back to Paul. He knew that if he pressed it, he could’ve stayed, but it wouldn’t be fair. Not to the other three who needed him too. so, he drove on, pushing his thoughts away. 

“Why don’t we turn the radio on?” He suggested. The boys grumbled a reply. He ignored them and switched it on. “Does anyone want to stop for ice cream?”

“No,” they all said at once. 

“Look boys,” Brian sighed, “I know the next week is going to be hard, but we’re gonna see Paul very soon. There really is nothing to be upset about.” 

“We left Paul at a hospital—overnight! There are a lot of things to be upset about,” John replied, exasperated. He shook his head before turning back to face the window, sulking. 

“Boys—John, especially—he is fine. He is surrounded by medical professionals that know exactly how to take care of him. Trust me, he’s safer there than he is here.” 

“For now,” he muttered, not taking his eyes off the road. 

Back at the hospital, Paul was still sulking alone in his bed when suddenly there was a knock at the door. He told them to come in, but he didn’t roll over. A female voice called out his name and he turned around. It was a nurse with auburn hair and cherry red lipstick. She smiled at him. 

“I’m Louise, and I’m on the night shift.”

“I thought I wasn’t going to be visited again tonight.”

“Oh, this isn’t anything too…you know. I’m just here to offer you a sleeping pill.”

“A sleeping pill? Why would I need that?”

“Because you definitely need your rest, and I find that sometimes patients have trouble sleeping before a big surgery.” She reached out and handed him two little   
paper cups, one was filled with water and the other had a tiny white pill inside. He took them and put them aside. She gave him a little smile and a nod.

Before she left, she turned the TV on for him. He looked at her in bewilderment. She smiled and said to him, “Trust me, you don’t want to be sitting alone in the dark all night.” He reluctantly agreed, and with that, she left him alone. 

He glanced over at the TV and noticed that Top of the Pops was on. He sat up a little in bed, smiling ever so slightly as he watched Cilla Black sing on screen.   
At the Beatles’ apartment, the remainder of the band sat around the living room, watching TV. George and Ringo sat together, munching on popcorn and mindlessly watching the show. Brian was leaning over the coffee table, working on some paperwork. John was laid out on the couch, seemingly fixated on the ceiling. He hadn’t said a word since the car ride home. 

After about a half an hour of silence, Brian finally spoke up. 

“Do you boys want to play poker or…something?” 

“Eh,” was all he got. 

“We can order a pizza. We didn’t really have dinner.”

“Got popcorn,” Ringo answered, shoving a handful into his mouth. 

“Why don’t we—“

“Okay just stop,” John called out, sitting up on the couch. “I know you’re trying to distract us but it’s not going to work. Paul is in hospital as we speak, and there is no activity that can possibly distract us enough to forget about it!” he ranted. Brian sighed and came over to him. 

“Not to turn into a sitcom dad, but seriously, John, you are worrying about nothing. Like I told you in the car, and in the hospital lobby, and in the elevator, he is safe.”

“But he still might be upset. You saw him. He didn’t want us to go! You know that!”

“He’s a big boy. He can handle a night by himself.”

“In hospital.”

“Yes, and guess what, Ringo spent a year in hospital when he was six, John. Six. If he could get through that than Paul—a 21 year old man—can get through a week.” John looked over at Ringo, who was trying not to look at them. He looked apologetically at him. Then back at Brian. 

“I guess you’re right,” he whispered. Then he added, "But I still miss him."

"Yeah," George added, "It's weird not hearing him around."

"It's weird just having three of us," Ringo said.

"Yeah," they all agreed with a heavy sigh. 

Brian tried not to sound too cynical when he said, "It's only a week, boys."

"It's still a week without him," John said sadly. Then he sighed and added, “We should just, uh, watch TV.” He turned his attention to the TV, which was playing an old western. The others seemed engrossed in it as well, or perhaps they were just faking it, like he was. 

Back at the hospital, Paul was still watching TV. He was watching a western that had John Wayne in it. the cowboys kept going on and on about having courage to face this battle with the Indians. Eventually, he turned it off. 

He looked over at the pair of paper cups sitting on the night stand and with a sigh, he took them both in his hands, downing the pill and then gulping the water. He tossed them aside and laid back on his pillow. Almost instantly, he fell asleep.


	21. Still Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John still can't sleep, so he goes in Brian's room for a talk.

Back at the apartment, all the boys were sleeping. All except Brian, who was laying awake in his bed. he had work on the nightstand but he didn’t touch it. the TV was on, but he didn’t look at it. he just stared out the window, seemingly a million miles away. suddenly, the door burst open and in stepped John, looking disheveled and very distraught. 

“Can I talk to you?” he asked breathlessly. 

“Of course,” Brian told him, ushering him inside. John climbed onto his bed, but kept his distance. “What do you need, sweetie?”

“I had a bad dream. Normally, I could just go over to Paul’s room, but…” 

“Alright, honey, you can stay here.” John nodded and slid under the covers. “Do you need me to turn the TV off?” he shook his head. Brian sighed and looked down at him, feeling so sympathetic towards him. “You know, you’re gonna see him again in…” he looked at his watch, “six hours.” 

“And then I’m gonna have to leave again.”

“Well, don’t think about it that way.”

“How am I supposed to think about this, Brian? All I can think about is Paul lying there in that bed waiting for some loony doctor to slice him up. I can’t take it,   
honest.”

“John,” he sighed, “Paul is in good hands. Dr. Williams is a great surgeon. He’s highly recommended. Do you honestly think I’d get Paul anything but the best?” He shook his head. “See, he’s safe, and that’s all you need to think about.”

“But, I don’t think it matters. I mean, yes, it obviously matters a lot, but I don’t care how great a doctor he is. He could be the best doctor in the world and I’d still   
feel like I’m…”

“You’re what, John?” He was starting to get teary eyed. Brian stroked his hair. “Go on, it’s okay. You can tell me.”

“I feel like…I don’t know how to put this. I’m letting some stranger take him and do whatever he wants to him and I feel like I’m letting him down or something.   
Like, I’m failing to protect him.” Brian sighed heavily, looking away. 

“Look, I know that you two are very close, and I know that you two have been through a lot of stuff together and that you were always there to take care of him, but   
sweetie, that is not your job. He can take care of himself. I know that’s hard to believe, but he is a grown-up, and you have to let him go.”

“But that doesn’t change the way that I feel. I can’t let him go in there. I can feel it deep inside of me. I mean, the idea of anything happening. Anything at all…” 

“Don’t worry about that. We’ve been through this a million times. He’s just scared because it’s his first time.”

“You know that it’s more than that.”

“John, everyone feels this way about surgery. And they all get over it, mostly when they wake up.” 

“No, you’re failing to understand. His mother—never mind, I don’t think it’s my place to tell you.”

“Tell me what?” John sighed heavily. 

“His mother died in surgery.”

“I thought she was sick.”

“She was, but that wasn’t what ultimately did it,” he paused, trying to find the words, “she had an embolism while she was on the table. They put her to sleep and   
she never woke up. I’m sure that’s all that’s been on Paul’s mind this entire time.” Brian nodded slowly, taking it in. 

“I’m sorry,” he said after a pause. “I really had no idea…” he kept shaking his head. “He knows that something like that and something like this are completely different.”

“I know, but it’s still anesthesia. It’s still having to go under the knife. It’s still putting your life in someone else’s hands.” he bit his lip and looked away, tears in his   
eyes. He looked back at Brian, his lip quivering. “I can’t put him through that.” Brian wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly as he cried. 

“Oh, Johnny, it’s okay, it’s okay. Our boy is gonna be fine.” 

“You always say that.”

“I know I do.”

“Do you always mean it?”

“I try to,” he whispered apologetically. 

“Tomorrow,” John began, “when he’s…do you how am I gonna let him go?” There was a long pause of silence as Brian thought about that. Finally, he said something.

“Just pretend.” John looked at him in shock, but Brian ignored him and continued to hug him tightly.


End file.
